MATLAB Application Deployment

Web Example Guide

R2014a

How to Contact MathWorks

Web
Newsgroup
www.mathworks.com/contact_TS.html Technical Support
www.mathworks.com

comp.soft-sys.matlab

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Product enhancement suggestions

Bug reports
Documentation error reports
Order status, license renewals, passcodes
Sales, pricing, and general information

508-647-7000 (Phone)
508-647-7001 (Fax)
The MathWorks, Inc.
3 Apple Hill Drive
Natick, MA 01760-2098
For contact information about worldwide offices, see the MathWorks Web site.
MATLAB Application Deployment Web Example Guide
COPYRIGHT 20082014 by The MathWorks, Inc.
The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. The software may be used
or copied only under the terms of the license agreement. No part of this manual may be photocopied or
reproduced in any form without prior written consent from The MathWorks, Inc.
FEDERAL ACQUISITION: This provision applies to all acquisitions of the Program and Documentation
by, for, or through the federal government of the United States. By accepting delivery of the Program
or Documentation, the government hereby agrees that this software or documentation qualifies as
commercial computer software or commercial computer software documentation as such terms are used
or defined in FAR 12.212, DFARS Part 227.72, and DFARS 252.227-7014. Accordingly, the terms and
conditions of this Agreement and only those rights specified in this Agreement, shall pertain to and govern
the use, modification, reproduction, release, performance, display, and disclosure of the Program and
Documentation by the federal government (or other entity acquiring for or through the federal government)
and shall supersede any conflicting contractual terms or conditions. If this License fails to meet the
governments needs or is inconsistent in any respect with federal procurement law, the government agrees
to return the Program and Documentation, unused, to The MathWorks, Inc.

Trademarks

MATLAB and Simulink are registered trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc. See
www.mathworks.com/trademarks for a list of additional trademarks. Other product or brand
names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Patents

MathWorks products are protected by one or more U.S. patents. Please see
www.mathworks.com/patents for more information.

Revision History

March 2008
October 2008
March 2009
September 2009
March 2010
September 2010
April 2011
September 2011
March 2012
September 2012
September 2013
March 2014

Online
Online
Online
Online
Online
Online
Online
Online
Online
Online
Online
Online

only
only
only
only
only
only
only
only
only
only
only
only

New for Version 4.8 (Release R2008a)

Revised for Version 4.9 (Release R2008b)
Revised for Version 4.10 (Release R2009a)
Revised for Version 4.11 (Release R2009b)
Revised for Version 4.13 (Release R2010a)
Revised for Version 4.14 (Release R2010b)
Revised for Version 4.15 (Release R2011a)
Revised for Version 4.16 (Release R2011b)
Revised for Version 4.17 (Release R2012a)
Revised for Version 4.18 (Release R2012b)
Revised for Version 5.0 (Release R2013b)
Revised for Version 5.1 (Release R2014a)

Contents
How to Use This Guide

1
The MATLAB Application Deployment Web Example
Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-2

.......................

1-4

Who Should Use This Guide?

Commonly Used Software and Preliminary Setup

Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MATLAB Programmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Integration Experts (Middle-Tier Developer and Front-End
Web Developer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
End User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-5
1-5
1-6
1-7

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and

Terminology

2
Basics of Web Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Web Processing Work Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Integrating MATLAB Code on the Web Using Java
Servlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Optimizing Performance of Servlets That Call Your
MATLAB Web Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Maintaining Data Integrity Through Proper Scoping . . . .
The Oracle Web Site: Your Ultimate Java Resource . . . . .

2-6
2-9
2-15

Lifecycle of a Deployed MATLAB Web Application . . . .

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MATLAB Web Application Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MATLAB Programmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Middle-Tier Developer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Front-End Web Developer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-16
2-16
2-18
2-19
2-20
2-21

2-2
2-2
2-3

Server Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
End User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
End-To-End Developer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-21
2-22
2-22

MATLAB Programmer Tasks

3
Programming in MATLAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MATLAB Programming Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Returning MATLAB Data Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-2
3-3
3-3

Deploying MATLAB Code with the Builders . . . . . . . . . .

3-6

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

vi

Contents

Working with the Business Service Layer . . . . . . . . . . . .

About the Business Service Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
About the Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-2
4-2
4-4

Creating a DAO for Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Initializing a Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interacting with a Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-6
4-6
4-7

Hosting a DAO on a Web Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hosting the DAO with a Servlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hosting a DAO Using a Java Web Service . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hosting a .NET DAO with ASPX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hosting a DAO Using a .NET Web Service . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-24
4-24
4-31
4-36
4-40

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

5
Working with the Front-End Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
About the Front-End Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
About the Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-2
5-2
5-5

Creating a WebFigure on a JSP Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-7

Creating a WebFigure on an ASPX Page . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-11

Working with Static Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-15

Displaying Complex Data Types Including Arrays and

Matrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-20

Using Web Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-28

Server Administrator Tasks

6
Managing a Deployment Server Environment . . . . . . . .
The Server Administrators Role in Deployment . . . . . . . .
An Overview of Deployed Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Installing the MATLAB Compiler Runtime (MCR) . . . . . .
Loading the MATLAB Compiler Runtime (MCR) . . . . . . . .
Scaling Your Server Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ensuring Fault Tolerance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-2
6-2
6-3
6-3
6-6
6-8
6-10

Hot Deployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.NET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-12
6-12
6-12

Working with Multiple Versions of the MATLAB

Compiler Runtime (MCR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-13

vii

Unsupported Versions of the JVM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-14

End User Tasks

7
.............................

7-2

Example Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-3

Working with Content

End-to-End Developer Tasks

8
..................

8-2

Magic Square Calculator On the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8-5

Creating an End-to-End Web Application . . . . . . . . . . . .

Creating a Java Web Application, End-to-End . . . . . . . . . .
Creating a .NET Web Application, End-to-End . . . . . . . . .

8-7
8-7
8-15

Role of the End-To-End Developer

Sources for More Information

A
Other Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MATLAB Builder JA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MATLAB Builder NE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

viii

Contents

A-2
A-2
A-2

1
How to Use This Guide
The MATLAB Application Deployment Web Example Guide on page 1-2
Who Should Use This Guide? on page 1-4
Commonly Used Software and Preliminary Setup Information on page 1-5

How to Use This Guide

The MATLAB Application Deployment Web Example Guide

MATLAB Compiler, MATLAB Builder NE, MATLAB Builder JA,
and MATLAB Builder EX take MATLAB functions and expose them in
a language-specific manner that can be deployed to users who do not have
MATLAB installed.
When deploying a MATLAB application in a Web-based environment, the
number of possible architectural configurations, programming languages,
operating systems, Web servers, and frameworks can be intimidating,
especially if you are new to Web deployment.
The goal of the MATLAB Application Deployment Web Example Guide is to
provide a series of templates demonstrating how to successfully implement
the possible configurations available in the Web deployment space.
Access the guide from the MathWorks Web site at:

MATLAB Compiler
http://www.mathworks.com/help/pdf_doc/compiler/index.html.

MATLAB Builder JA
http://www.mathworks.com/help/pdf_doc/javabuilder/index.html
MATLAB Builder NE
http://www.mathworks.com/help/pdf_doc/dotnetbuilder/index.html
Use the MATLAB Application Deployment Web Example Guide to:
Learn about the components of a Web deployment environment.
Review an architectural configuration of a typical Web deployment
implementation and how the components in the configuration work
together.
Reference specific models for performing the most common to the most
complex deployment tasks, such as:

1-2

Creating a deployable function

Hosting the component delivered by the MATLAB Programmer using
J2EE and .NET Web technologies

The MATLAB Application Deployment Web Example Guide

Displaying complex data types (arrays, matrices) on a Web page

Enabling scalability through stateless services used with MATLAB
Builder JA or MATLAB Builder NE

Deploying applications through implementation of SOAP Web services

1-3

How to Use This Guide

Who Should Use This Guide?

Many skill sets are involved in deploying MATLAB applications.
These skills sets include the MATLAB Programmer (usually a scientist
or engineer), a Business Services Developer and front-end Web developer
(programmers responsible for interfacing with languages and frameworks
such as Java and .NET, as well as developing Web page content), and the end
user, who consumes the final product.
Since it is sometimes confusing to determine who should perform what task in
a large installation, this guides structure is role based. In other words, the
tasks that belong to each role are listed in separate sections or chapter. This
organization enables more novice users to focus only on the tasks related to
their area of expertise and enables advanced users to customize a list of tasks
pertinent to their own area of expertise.
For more information on these roles and skill sets and how they work together
to successfully deploy a Web application, see the section Lifecycle of a
Deployed MATLAB Web Application on page 2-16.

1-4

Commonly Used Software and Preliminary Setup Information

Commonly Used Software and Preliminary Setup

Information
In this section...
MATLAB Programmer on page 1-5
Integration Experts (Middle-Tier Developer and Front-End Web
Developer) on page 1-6
End User on page 1-7

MATLAB Programmer
MATLAB Programmer
Role

MATLAB
programmer

Knowledge Base

Responsibilities

MATLAB expert

Develops models; implements in

MATLAB

No IT experience
No access to IT systems

Serves as tool builder

Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the Java developer
Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the .NET developer
Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the COM developer
Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the C or C++ developer

MATLAB
Financial Toolbox
MATLAB Compiler
MATLAB Builder JA

1-5

How to Use This Guide

MATLAB Builder NE
Note Many of the examples in this guide use the software listed here. It is
not likely you will use all of the software listed here.

Integration Experts (Middle-Tier Developer and

Front-End Web Developer)
Middle-Tier Developer
Little to no MATLAB
experience
Middle-tier
developer

Moderate IT Experience
Expert at business logic and
services tier
Java expert
.NET expert
Minimal access to IT systems
Expert at J2EE
Expert at .NET Web
frameworks
Expert at Web services

1-6

Integrates deployed component

with the rest of the J2EE system
by converting MATLAB data types
(MWArrays) to the Java Business
logic objects
Integrates deployed component
with the rest of the .NET system
by converting MATLAB data types
(MWArrays) to the .NET Business
logic objects

Commonly Used Software and Preliminary Setup Information

Front-End Web Developer

Role

Front-end Web
developer

Knowledge Base

Responsibilities

No MATLAB experience

As service consumer, manages

presentation and usability

Minimal IT experience
Expert at usability and Web
page design
Minimal access to IT systems
Expert at JSP
Expert at ASPX

Creates front-end applications

Integrates MATLAB code with
language-specific frameworks and
environments
Integrates WebFigures with the rest
of the Web page

MCR (MATLAB Compiler Runtime)

Microsoft IIS 5
Microsoft .NET Framework
Java SDK (Software Developer Kit) 1.5 or later
Java JRE (Java Runtime Environment) 1.5 or later
Apache Tomcat 5 Web Server
Apache Axis2 Web Services Engine
PHP server-side hypertext preprocessor 5.2.3 or later
NUSOAP PHP class add-in

End User
End User
Role

Knowledge Base

Responsibilities

No MATLAB experience

In Web environments, consumes

what the front-end developer creates

1-7

How to Use This Guide

End User (Continued)

End user

Some knowledge of the data

that is being displayed, but not
how it was created

Integrates MATLAB code with other

third-party applications, such as
Excel

Microsoft Office 2003 or later

Microsoft Office Web Services Toolkit

1-8

2
Web 101: An Introduction
to Web Concepts and
Terminology
Basics of Web Processing on page 2-2
Lifecycle of a Deployed MATLAB Web Application on page 2-16

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and Terminology

Basics of Web Processing

In this section...
Web Processing Work Flow on page 2-2
Integrating MATLAB Code on the Web Using Java Servlets on page 2-3
Optimizing Performance of Servlets That Call Your MATLAB Web Code
on page 2-6
Maintaining Data Integrity Through Proper Scoping on page 2-9
The Oracle Web Site: Your Ultimate Java Resource on page 2-15

Web Processing Work Flow

Web processing occurs between a client that makes requests and a Web
server that responds to the requests. The communication between client and
server is done using HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). HTTP is a simple,
synchronous protocol where a client connects to a server, sends a single
command, and waits for a response.
Client requests consist of two items:
an HTTP verb such as GET
a URL
URLs contain two pieces of information:

the address of the server

the object of the HTTP verb

The exchange follows the pattern:

1 The client constructs a request.

One common scenario is typing a URL into the address bar of your Web
browser. The browser adds a GET to the URL to create the full request.
2 The client sends the request over the wire using HTTP.

2-2

Basics of Web Processing

3 The client begins to wait for a response.

4 The server receives the request.
5 The server acknowledges the request by sending a message to the client.
6 The client continues to wait for the request to be fulfilled.
7 Based on the HTTP verb in the request, the server processes the request.

In the case of a Web browser, the verb is typically GET. The server retrieves,
or constructs, the requested HTML page.
8 The server sends a response to the client.
9 The client processes the response.

In the case of a Web browser, the client renders the returned HTML page.

Integrating MATLAB Code on the Web Using Java

Servlets
A Java servlet is an object that resides on the server. When a servlet is first
placed on a Web server, it is assigned patterns of URLs which it can process.
The servlet has a method on it, called doGet. doGet is invoked when a client
issues the get command for any document matching the pattern assigned to a
particular servlet. The get command is one of the most common in the HTTP
protocol: it initiates the reading of a document.
One of the simplest ways to integrate MATLAB code in a Web context is to
write a Java servlet, and in its doGet method, make calls against an object
built by MATLAB Builder JA.
The doGet command is passed two objects: one that represents the request
and one that represents the response. doGet must analyze the request object
for what is needed and use the response object to send back the document it
creates to the browser:
Integrate your MATLAB code as follows:

2-3

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and Terminology

1 Override the default doGet() method provided by the HttpServlet class so

that it makes calls to your MATLAB code.

2 Write code to respond to the client request. At minimum, you must at least

set the content type.

3 Write your data to a virtual file that is either being buffered or being sent

directly to the client via socket.

The stream output commands in your servlet include the output from calling
the MATLAB function on your component. For example, you might use the
MWArray toString method to convert your MWArrays to strings or another
type appropriate to your application.

Using JavaServer Pages (JSP) to Integrate MATLAB Code On

the Web
Under some circumstances, you can achieve desired end result faster and
more seamlessly by using JavaServer Pages (JSP). JSP is a server side Java
technology that allows software developers to create dynamically generated
web pages, with HTML, XML, or other document types, in response to a Web
client request to a Java Web Application container (server).
For an example of how to use JSP pages to dynamically render WebFigures,
see Creating a WebFigure on a JSP Page on page 5-7 and Creating an
End-to-End Web Application on page 8-7 in this Example Guide, and
Implement a Custom WebFigure in the Users Guide.

MyServlet.java
import com.mathworks.toolbox.javabuilder.MWException;
import com.mathworks.toolbox.javabuilder.MWArray;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.PrintStream;

2-4

Basics of Web Processing

import magicsquare.magic;
/**
* A simple servlet to call MATLAB code.
*/
public class MyServlet extends HttpServlet
{
@Override
protected void doGet(final HttpServletRequest request,
final HttpServletResponse response)
throws ServletException, IOException
{
try {
final magic m = new magic();
try {
final Object[] results = m.makesqr(1, (int)(Math.random()
* 7 + 3));
try {
final MWArray firstResult = (MWArray)results[0];
final double[][] square = (double[][])firstResult.toArray();
response.setContentType("text/html");
final PrintStream page =
new PrintStream(response.getOutputStream());
page.println("<html>");
page.println("<head>");
page.println(" <title>Magic Square Web App</title>");
page.println("</head>");
page.println("<body>");
page.println("A magic square of size " + square.length);
page.println("<table border='1' cellpadding='4'>");
for (double[] row : square) {
page.println("<tr>");
for (double column : row) {
page.println("<td>" + column + "</td>");
}
page.println("</tr>");
}
page.println("</table>");
page.println("</body>");
page.println("</html>");

2-5

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and Terminology

} finally {
MWArray.disposeArray(results);
}
} finally {
m.dispose();
}
} catch (MWException e) {
throw new ServletException(e);
}
}
}

Optimizing Performance of Servlets That Call Your

MATLAB Web Code
doGet is invoked every time a get command is received on the server. Thus,
every time a get command is received,MagicWeb is instantiated along with
its dispose method.

This can quickly impact performance, as it takes time to create an MCR

instance. You can, however, take measures to improve the performance
of your code.
Moving the ownership of the component from the doGet method into the
servlet, so it doesnt have to be created and destroyed repeatedly, is a start.

Using HTTPServlet init and destroy Methods

HTTPServlet has a set of methods called init and destroy. The servlet
automatically calls these methods when the servlet is created and destroyed.

To take advantage of these methods, you match the scope of MagicWebJavaApp

to the scope of the servlet. This renders the lifetime of the deployed component
and its MCR instance as the same as the lifetime of the servlet. From the
first time a user requests a document that matches the pattern assigned to
the servlet, until the time the servlet is terminated by an administrator,
the servlet remains available.
1 Add a property on MyServlet of type magic and instantiate.

2-6

Basics of Web Processing

Tip As a best practice, make the instance private. Doing so promotes

data security and integrity.
2 Overload the init method (where you create your servlet).
3 Overload the destroy method (where you issue dispose).
4 Verify your doGet method in your servlet is reentrantmeaning that it

can be entered simultaneously on multiple threads and processed in a

thread-safe manner.
Note A Web server that uses servlets to process requests can be termed a
servlet container. The servlet container manages every object scoped to its
class. In this case, the container manages the lifetime of servlets by calling
init and destroy for you. You specify to the container how you want init
and destroy to be executed.

MyServlet.java.
public class MyServlet extends HttpServlet
{
private magic m;
@Override
public void init(ServletConfig servletConfig) throws ServletException {
try {
m = new magic();
} catch (MWException e) {
throw new ServletException(e);
}
}
@Override
protected void doGet(final HttpServletRequest request,
final HttpServletResponse response)
throws ServletException, IOException

2-7

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and Terminology

{
try {
final Object[] results = m.makesqr(1, (int)(Math.random() * 7 + 3));
try {
final MWArray firstResult = (MWArray)results[0];
final double[][] square = (double[][])firstResult.toArray();
response.setContentType("text/html");
final PrintStream page =
new PrintStream(response.getOutputStream());
page.println("<html>");
page.println("<head>");
page.println(" <title>Magic Square Web App</title>");
page.println("</head>");
page.println("<body>");
page.println("A magic square of size " + square.length);
page.println("<table border='1' cellpadding='4'>");
for (double[] row : square) {
page.println("<tr>");
for (double column : row) {
page.println("<td>" + column + "</td>");
}
page.println("</tr>");
}
page.println("</table>");
page.println("</body>");
page.println("</html>");
} finally {
MWArray.disposeArray(results);
}
} catch (MWException e) {
throw new ServletException(e);
}
}
@Override
public void destroy() {
m.dispose();
}
}

2-8

Basics of Web Processing

Maintaining Data Integrity Through Proper Scoping

When working with servlets, you must be extremely aware of the role scoping
plays in placement of your data.
A scope is a binding of variable to value. In the same scope, a certain name
always refers to a particular binding value.
Every method call generates its own scope. Local variables belong to the
scope of the method invocation.
There are several degrees of scope provided by the Java language:
Static scope Bound to the class itself
Instance scope Bound to an instance of the class
Method scope Bound to local variables tied to a specific method
invocation
When you refer to a variable, the default behavior of the Java compiler is to
first interpret that variable in terms of its most local scope. For example, in
MyOtherServlet.java, note how variables are determined within the scopes
designated by each set of curly braces.
In this example, notice that state which is particular to an individual request
is scoped to the doGet method itself, rather than the servlet.
To ensure processing is thread-safe, avoid storing data related to state
variables as instance variables on the class itself. Defining too many instance
fields in the class allows state variables to be shared by all threads that call
doGet on the same servlet instance. Instead, scope at the method level, using
method parameters, rather than at the class level. This scoping at the method
level also ensures your application scales easily as more servers are added.

Context Scoping with Servlets

As discussed in Optimizing Performance of Servlets That Call Your MATLAB
Web Code on page 2-6, MyServlet takes a request and generates an HTML
document calling MagicWebJavaApp. This call generates a formatted response.
However, you may want a different formatted response or you may want to

2-9

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and Terminology

call MagicWebJavaApp with another method to achieve a different result. To

do this, you write myOtherServlet.
Begin by using the code from MyServlet as a template for myOtherServlet.
This time, however, you install myOtherServlet in the servlet container by
mapping it to another set of URLs.
Clients periodically do GETs on various URL patterns mapped to each servlet.
While this works well, you can make the process more efficientnote that you
are duplicating work by using two copies of MagicWebJavaApp.
Because each of the servlets gets their init method called separately, each of
these methods initializes a separate MCR instance.
MyOtherServlet.java.
public class MyOtherServlet extends HttpServlet
{
private magic m;
@Override
public void init(ServletConfig servletConfig) throws ServletException {
try {
m = new magic();
} catch (MWException e) {
throw new ServletException(e);
}
}
@Override
protected void doGet(final HttpServletRequest request,
final HttpServletResponse response)
throws ServletException, IOException
{
try {
final Object[] results = m.makesqr(1, (int)(Math.random()
* 10 + 11));
try {
final MWArray firstResult = (MWArray)results[0];
response.setContentType("text/html");

2-10

Basics of Web Processing

{
final double[][] square = (double[][])firstResult.toArray();
{
final PrintStream page =
new PrintStream(response.getOutputStream());
page.println("<html>");
page.println("<head>");
page.println("
<title>Magic Square Web App (Other)</title>");
page.println("</head>");
page.println("<body>");
page.println("A magic square of size " + square.length);
page.println("<table border='1' cellpadding='4'>");
{
for (double[] row : square) {
page.println("<tr>");
for (double column : row) {
page.println("<td>" + column + "</td>");
}
page.println("</tr>");
}
}
page.println("</table>");
page.println("</body>");
page.println("</html>");
}
}
} finally {
MWArray.disposeArray(results);
}
} catch (MWException e) {
throw new ServletException(e);
}
}
@Override
public void destroy() {
m.dispose();
}
}

2-11

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and Terminology

Improving Performance with Servlet Contexts

Context scopes provided by the servlet container can supply convenient
solutions to performance problems such as those described in Context
Scoping with Servlets on page 2-9.
Scopes including multiple servlets are called servlet contexts. Using a servlet
context, you make the component a shared resource and improve performance
substantially.
1 Obtain the servlet context by calling getServletContext .
2 After you obtain the servlet context, get an attribute (in this case, variables

bound to the servlet context) on the context.

The following logic (shown in bold type) added to each servlet
(MyServlet.java and MyServletContextListener.java), creates a shared
MagicWebInstance:
MyServletContextListener.java.
import magicsquare.magic;
import javax.servlet.ServletContextListener;
import javax.servlet.ServletContextEvent;
import javax.servlet.ServletContext;
import com.mathworks.toolbox.javabuilder.MWException;
public class MyServletContextListener implements ServletContextListener {
static final String SHARED_MAGIC_INSTANCE = "SharedMagicInstance";
public void contextInitialized(final ServletContextEvent event) {
final ServletContext context = event.getServletContext();
try {
final magic m = new magic();
context.setAttribute(SHARED_MAGIC_INSTANCE, m);
} catch (MWException e) {
context.log("Error creating magicsquare.magic", e);
}
}

2-12

Basics of Web Processing

public void contextDestroyed(final ServletContextEvent event) {

final ServletContext context = event.getServletContext();
final magic m = (magic)context.getAttribute(SHARED_MAGIC_INSTANCE);
m.dispose();
}
}

Code Excerpt from MyServlet.java.

@Override
protected void doGet(final HttpServletRequest request,
final HttpServletResponse response)
throws ServletException, IOException
{
final HttpSession session = request.getSession();
final ServletContext context = session.getServletContext();
final magic m =
(magic)context.getAttribute
(MyServletContextListener.SHARED_MAGIC_INSTANCE);

Session Scoping with Servlets

A Java session is defined as a lasting connection between a user (or user
agent) and a peer, typically a server, usually involving the exchange of many
packets between the users computer and the server.
The servlet container provides a scope that corresponds to a session between a
particular client and a server. Since HTTP is a very lightweight protocol and
carries no notion of persistence, it follows that session scoping is particularly
useful in retaining data or state particular to a client. If you have state that
needs to persist across requests, the proper context is the Session.
Single instances of a servlet may be used for many clients throughout its
lifetime. Thus, init and destroy have no knowledge of the session context.
However, HTTP request and response objects do, since request and
response happen within the context of a session between a client and server.
You usually get the HTTPSession object from the request.

2-13

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and Terminology

Session has an API with similar methods to servlet contextsetAttribute,

getAttribute, removeAtrribute, and so on. They bind variables that last for

the relationship between a specific client with browser and server.

Sessions usually have time-outs, so they automatically clean up in case the
client doesnt explicitly log off. This is configurable on the HTTPSession object
itself or somewhere in the servlet API.
The following logic (shown in bold type) added to both
MyHttpSessionListener.java and MyServer.java creates your
MATLAB component at the session scope.
MyHttpSessionListener.java.
import magicsquare.magic;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpSessionListener;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpSession;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpSessionEvent;
import com.mathworks.toolbox.javabuilder.MWException;
public class MyHttpSessionListener implements HttpSessionListener {
static final String SHARED_MAGIC_INSTANCE = "SharedMagicInstance";
public void sessionCreated(final HttpSessionEvent event) {
final HttpSession session = event.getSession();
try {
final magic m = new magic();
session.setAttribute(SHARED_MAGIC_INSTANCE, m);
} catch (MWException e) {
session.getServletContext().log
("Error creating magicsquare.magic", e);
}
}
public void sessionDestroyed(final HttpSessionEvent event) {
final HttpSession context = event.getSession();
final magic m = (magic)context.getAttribute(SHARED_MAGIC_INSTANCE);
m.dispose();

2-14

Basics of Web Processing

}
}

MyServer.java.
@Override
protected void doGet(final HttpServletRequest request,
final HttpServletResponse response)
throws ServletException, IOException
{
final HttpSession session = request.getSession();
final magic m =
(magic)session.getAttribute
(MyHttpSessionListener.SHARED_MAGIC_INSTANCE);

The Oracle Web Site: Your Ultimate Java Resource

For the most detailed coverage of the Java language on the Web, refer to
Oracles Web Site at http://www.oracle.com/us/technologies/java/index.htm.

2-15

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and Terminology

Lifecycle of a Deployed MATLAB Web Application

In this section...
Introduction on page 2-16
MATLAB Web Application Environment on page 2-18
MATLAB Programmer on page 2-19
Middle-Tier Developer on page 2-20
Front-End Web Developer on page 2-21
Server Administrator on page 2-21
End User on page 2-22
End-To-End Developer on page 2-22

Introduction
How does a single piece of MATLAB code become a deployable, portable,
robust, scalable Web application? Through skillful deployment by a number
of people in an organization, each playing distinct and significant roles.
The following diagrams depict the supported implementation and
architectures available when using MATLAB application deployment
products.

2-16

Lifecycle of a Deployed MATLAB Web Application

2-17

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and Terminology

Multi-tier large implementation

Front end tier servers

Middle tier servers

MCR

Load
balancer
Internet
External end user
via browser
(no MCR)
Firewall

Load
balancer

MCR

External facing web

servers (no MCR)

Firewall

Internal end user Internal facing

via browser
web server
(no MCR)
(behind firewall)
Single-tier small implementation

Front end and

middle tier servers
MCR

Internal end user

via browser (no MCR)

Router

Internal end user

via browser (no MCR)

End-to-end
MATLAB programmer

MATLAB Web Application Environment

The fundamental goal of the Application Deployment products (MATLAB
Compiler and the builders) is to enable work that has been accomplished
within MATLAB to be deployed outside the MATLAB environment. This is
accomplished with the MATLAB Compiler Runtime (MCR), which is a set of
libraries that runs encrypted MATLAB code.

2-18

Lifecycle of a Deployed MATLAB Web Application

In a Web application, the builder products allow integration of the MCR at

the server tier level. This enables end users to execute MATLAB applications
over the Web without installing client software.
WebFigures is a client and server technology that further extends this
capability by enabling end users to interact with a MATLAB figure in
much the same way as they use an axis within MATLAB. The WebFigures
functionality of MATLAB Builder JA and MATLAB Builder NE allows users
limited to Web access the ability to dynamically interact with MATLAB
figures.

MATLAB Programmer
MATLAB Programmer
Role

MATLAB
programmer

Knowledge Base

Responsibilities

MATLAB expert

Develops models; implements in

MATLAB

No IT experience
No access to IT systems

Serves as tool builder

Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the Java developer
Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the .NET developer
Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the COM developer
Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the C or C++ developer

The first phase in a deployed applications life begins when code is written
in MATLAB by a MATLAB programmer, whose objective is sharing it with
other people either within or outside of the organization. To accomplish this
objective, the programmer uses MATLAB Compiler. MATLAB Compiler
makes MATLAB code usable by people in vastly different environments who
may not have knowledge of MATLAB or the MATLAB language.

2-19

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and Terminology

When MATLAB Builder JA (for Java language) or MATLAB Builder NE

(for Microsoft .NET Framework) is installed along with MATLAB Compiler,
MATLAB functions can be encrypted and wrapped in Java or .NET interfaces.
The MATLAB programmer takes these deployable components and gives
them to the middle-tier developer.

Middle-Tier Developer
Middle-Tier Developer
Little to no MATLAB
experience
Middle-tier
developer

Moderate IT Experience
Expert at business logic and
services tier
Java expert
.NET expert
Minimal access to IT systems

Integrates deployed component

with the rest of the J2EE system
by converting MATLAB data types
(MWArrays) to the Java Business
logic objects
Integrates deployed component
with the rest of the .NET system
by converting MATLAB data types
(MWArrays) to the .NET Business
logic objects

Expert at J2EE
Expert at .NET Web
frameworks
Expert at Web services
At this point in the deployment lifecycle, integration is usually required in
order to make the deployed application work with the existing applications in
the organization. The Business Services Developer installs these deployable
applications along with the proper version of the MCR, and converts MATLAB
data types to native language data types so they can be used without any
coupling to MATLAB in other tiers of the installation architecture. When the
Java or .NET component is called, it will instantiate the MCR to execute the
underlying MATLAB code. Once these services are exposed (either as Web
services or through an API) Front End Developers can connect to them and
use them.

2-20

Lifecycle of a Deployed MATLAB Web Application

Front-End Web Developer

Front-End Web Developer
Role

Front-end Web
developer

Knowledge Base

Responsibilities

No MATLAB experience

As service consumer, manages

presentation and usability

Minimal IT experience
Expert at usability and Web
page design
Minimal access to IT systems
Expert at JSP
Expert at ASPX

Creates front-end applications

Integrates MATLAB code with
language-specific frameworks and
environments
Integrates WebFigures with the rest
of the Web page

Front-end Web developers are typically responsible for user-visible

functionality and know little about under-the-covers implementation. Their
primary concern is the stability and security of the organizations data within
the confines of a firewall. Once the front-end Web developers create some
mechanism for exposing the application functionality to the end user, it is up
to the end user to complete the lifecycle by interacting with the application
to perform some task or solve some business problem. End users typically
achieve this through a Web browser.

Server Administrator
Server Administrator
No MATLAB experience
Server
administrator

IT Expert
Understands server
architectures
Understands language-specific
frameworks and environments

Manages uptime of production

servers
Ensures that services are scalable
enough to meet SLA requirements
Maintains multiple versions of the
MCR and Deployed component
versions

2-21

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and Terminology

Server Administrator (Continued)

Manages framework versions

Server administrators are responsible for keeping the servers up and running,
meeting the IT departments commitments to the rest of the organization as
outlined in SLA agreements. They are not MATLAB experts and may or may
not know much about integrating deployed applications in various computing
environments. However, they are expert in understanding which versions of
which computing environments (JREs and .NET frameworks, for example)
can co-exist and run stably in order to achieve the end-users desired results.

End User
End User
Role

End user

Knowledge Base

Responsibilities

No MATLAB experience

In Web environments, consumes

what the front-end developer creates

Some knowledge of the data

that is being displayed, but not
how it was created

Integrates MATLAB code with other

third-party applications, such as
Excel

End users may use the Web site or may interact with the business tier
directly. In this case, an example of a common activity would be when
a financial analyst accesses a business tier Web service and a complex
Microsoft Excel model. Or, they access an internal Web site, performing
specific tasks not available to their customers.

End-To-End Developer
The end-to-end developers are virtual one-stop shops. They are MATLAB
experts, but are also skilled in many of the areas of expertise as the middle-tier
developer and front-end Web developer, though their level of expertise may
vary over their many areas of responsibility. To this end, this guide presents

2-22

Lifecycle of a Deployed MATLAB Web Application

examples of comprehensive deployment tasks scoped specifically to the time

and resource constraints typically faced by end-to-end developers.

2-23

2-24

Web 101: An Introduction to Web Concepts and Terminology

3
MATLAB Programmer
Tasks
Programming in MATLAB on page 3-2
Deploying MATLAB Code with the Builders on page 3-6

MATLAB Programmer Tasks

Programming in MATLAB
In this section...
MATLAB Programming Basics on page 3-3
Returning MATLAB Data Types on page 3-3
MATLAB Programmer
Role

MATLAB
programmer

Knowledge Base

Responsibilities

MATLAB expert

Develops models; implements in

MATLAB

No IT experience
No access to IT systems

Serves as tool builder

Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the Java developer
Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the .NET developer
Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the COM developer
Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the C or C++ developer

MATLAB is an interpreted programming environment. You can execute

functions directly at the command prompt or through an editor in saved files.
Methods may be created, having their own unique inputs and outputs. When
deploying a MATLAB function to other programming environments, such
as .NET and Java, you must contain your MATLAB code within functions.
MATLAB Compiler does not allow you to use inline scripts.
The following examples demonstrate how to perform basic MATLAB
programmer tasks for deployed applications; they do not attempt to represent
every way a MATLAB programmer can interface with MATLAB. Upcoming
topics demonstrate how to use various data types in deployed applications.
For more specific information about any of these data types, see your product
Users Guide.

3-2

Programming in MATLAB

MATLAB Programming Basics

Creating a Deployable MATLAB Function
Virtually any calculation that you can create in MATLAB can be deployed, if
it resides in a function. For example:
>> 1 + 1

cannot be deployed.
However, the following calculation:
function result = addSomeNumbers()
result = 1+1;
end

can be deployed because the calculation now resides in a function.

Taking Inputs into a Function
You typically pass inputs to a function. You can use primitive data type as an
input into a function.
To pass inputs, put them in parentheses. For example:

function result = addSomeNumbers(number1, number2)

result = number1 + number2;
end

Returning MATLAB Data Types

MATLAB allows many different deployable data types. This section contains
examples of how to work with figures. For an in-depth explanation of how
to work with MATLAB primitive data types, see the MATLAB External
Interfaces documentation.

3-3

MATLAB Programmer Tasks

MATLAB Figures
Often, you are dealing with images displayed in a figure window, and not
just string and numerical data. Deployed Web applications can support
figure window data in a number of ways. By using the WebFigures
infrastructure (see About the WebFigures Feature in the MATLAB
Builder JA documentation or WebFigures in the MATLAB Builder NE
documentation), the respective builder marshals the data for you.
Alternatively, you can take a snapshot of what is in the figure window at a
given point and convert that data into the raw image data for a specific image
type. This is particularly useful for streaming the images across the web.
Returning Data from a WebFigure Window
WebFigures is a feature that enables you to embed dynamic MATLAB figures
onto a Web page through a Builder JA or Builder NE component. This concept
can be used with any data in a figure window.
As in the following example, you close the figure before the code is exited so
that the figure does not pop up, or appear later, in the deployed application.
You do not need to specify any reorientation data when using WebFigures. If
the figure is attached to the rest of the infrastructure, it will automatically
pass, resize, and reorient accordingly.
%returns a WebFigure reference containing the
%data from the figure window
function resultWebFigure = getWebFigure
f = figure;
set(f,'Color',[.8,.9,1]);
f = figure('Visible','off');
surf(peaks);
resultWebFigure = webfigure(f);
close(f);
end

Returning a Figure as Data

This approach is typically used for instances where WebFigures cant be used,
or in a stateless application.

3-4

Programming in MATLAB

%We set the figure not to be visible since we are

%streaming the data out
%Notice how you can specify the format of the bytes,
% .net uses unsigned bytes (uint8)
% java uses signed bytes (int 8)
%This function allows you to specify the image format
%such as png, or jpg
function imageByteData = getSurfPeaksImageData(imageFormat)
f = figure;
surf(peaks);
set(f, 'Visible', 'off');
imageByteData = figToImStream(f, imageFormat, 'uint8');
close(f);
end

Reorienting a Figure and Returning It as Data

Sometimes you want the function to change the perspective on an image
before returning it. This can be accomplished like this:
%We set the figure not to be visible since we are
%streaming the data out
%Notice how you can specify the format of the bytes,
% .net uses unsigned bytes (uint8)
% java uses signed bytes (int 8)
%This function allows you to specify the image format
%such as png, or jpg
function imageData =
getImageDataOrientation(width, height, rotation,
elevation, imageFormat)
f = figure('Position', [0, 0, width, height]);
surf(peaks);
view([rotation, elevation]);
set(f, 'Visible', 'off');
imageData = figToImStream (f, imageFormat, 'uint8');
close(f);
end

3-5

MATLAB Programmer Tasks

Deploying MATLAB Code with the Builders

Writing the MATLAB code is only the first step when deploying an
application. You must next determine how the application is structured.
Although you might have a large amount of MATLAB code that needs to run
within a component, typically only a small number of entry points need to be
exposed to the calling application. It is best to determine these entry points
and to make sure all inputs and outputs are necessary before deploying a Web
application. The best practice is to ensure the MATLAB files that contain
methods have the same name as the MATLAB file for all entry points.
For examples using the MATLAB Library Compiler, see Implement a Custom
WebFigure in the MATLAB Builder JA documentation and WebFigures in
the MATLAB Builder NE documentation.
It is also possible to use the MATLAB Compiler mcc command to build
components.

3-6

4
Middle-Tier Developer
Tasks
Working with the Business Service Layer on page 4-2
Creating a DAO for Deployment on page 4-6
Hosting a DAO on a Web Server on page 4-24

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

Working with the Business Service Layer

In this section...
About the Business Service Layer on page 4-2
About the Examples on page 4-4
Middle-Tier Developer
Little to no MATLAB
experience
Middle-tier
developer

Moderate IT Experience
Expert at business logic and
services tier
Java expert
.NET expert
Minimal access to IT systems

Integrates deployed component

with the rest of the J2EE system
by converting MATLAB data types
(MWArrays) to the Java Business
logic objects
Integrates deployed component
with the rest of the .NET system
by converting MATLAB data types
(MWArrays) to the .NET Business
logic objects

Expert at J2EE
Expert at .NET Web
frameworks
Expert at Web services

About the Business Service Layer

Note For comprehensive end-to-end implementations of the concepts in this
chapter, see Appendix A, Sources for More Information.
Most software contains a business service layer, which is a set of interfaces,
business objects (and logic to manipulate them), and mechanisms for data
access that run the core business.
A typical business service layer contains the following sublayers:

4-2

Working with the Business Service Layer

Interfaces Typically the business service layer can implement several

different interface types which all interact with common data elements and
common business objects, all using the same business logic. Software and
related services used to access business data from native or Web clients
include:

SOAP services
Remoting interfaces
HTTP services
Java servlets
JSPs (for Java)
ASPX (for .NET)

Business Objects and Logic This is business data expressed in the form
of objects along with the logic to manipulate the objects. This data is loaded
by a combination of inputs from the interfaces and data from the data
access layer.
Data Access This layer links to all lower-level data such as databases,
where access into a deployed application would typically take place.
Your generated component fits into this category, as it can be used as a
mechanism through which to access the MATLAB Compiler Runtime
(MCR).

4-3

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

Elements of the Business Service Layer

About the Examples

Depending on the size and complexity of an implementation some of these
elements can overlap. The examples in this documentation assume direct
communication from the interfaces into the DAO (data access object or
wrapper utility) that you create.

4-4

Working with the Business Service Layer

All examples in this document are coded as stateless (with the exception of
the MATLAB Builder JA WebFigures example) and are scalable. Servers
can be added or augmented by a load balancer for performance tuning.
Tip To scale MATLAB Builder NE WebFigures, use the .NET Distributed
Session setting. This enables all machines in your Web farm to use the same
session.

4-5

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

Creating a DAO for Deployment

To access business objects in .NET and Java environments, you must write a
data access class or classes.
The code in these examples represents what exists within the data access
section of an application since it bridges across MATLAB data and data types
and Java and .NET data types.
Note In these examples, a fake component generated using the MATLAB
builder products called deploymentExamples is used. Assume it has been
imported.

Initializing a Component
Use these examples as a framework for initializing a component.
Java
DeploymentExamples deployment = null;
try
{
deployment = new DeploymentExamples ();
//**************
//Use the deployment code here
// (see examples below)
//**************
}
catch(MWException mw_ex)
{
mw_ex.printStackTrace();
}
finally
{
deployment.dispose();
}

4-6

Creating a DAO for Deployment

.NET
DeploymentExamples.DeploymentExamples deployment = null;
try
{
deployment = new DeploymentExamples.DeploymentExamples();
//******************************
//**Use your deployment code here
//** (See examples below)
//******************************
}
finally
{
deployment.Dispose();
}

Interacting with a Component

You interact with a component by passing inputs to a deployed application
or producing MATLAB output from a deployed application. All of these
examples fit where the comment block resides in Initializing a Component
on page 4-6and the same component class is used. The Java and .NE Builder
infrastructure handles data marshaling when passing parameters to a
component. Data conversion rules can be found in the MATLAB builder
documentation. If a specific data type is required, you can use the MWArray
objects and pass in the appropriate data type.

Converting an Integer to a MATLAB Data Type

Some of the ways to pass inputs to a deployed applications are demonstrated
in these examples:
Java
int n = 3;
MWNumericArray x = new MWNumericArray(n, MWClassID.DOUBLE);

.NET
int n = 3;

4-7

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

MWNumericArray x = new MWNumericArray(n, true);

Converting Array Data to a MATLAB Data Type

Arrays can be converted to several different MATLAB data types. An example
of converting a String array into a cell array follows:
Java
//Create the array of data
String[] friendsArray1 =
{
"Jordan Robert",
"Mary Smith",
"Stacy Flora",
"Harry Alpert"
};
int numberOfArrayElements1 = friendsArray1.length;
int numberOfArrayColumns1 = 1;
//Create the MWCellArray to store the data
MWCellArray cellArray1 =
new MWCellArray(
numberOfArrayColumns1,
numberOfArrayElements1);
//Iterate through the array and add the elements to
//
the cell array.
for(int i = 1; i<friendsArray1.length+1; i++)
{
cellArray1.set(i, friendsArray1[i-1]);
}

.NET
String[] array =
{

4-8

Creating a DAO for Deployment

"Jordan Robert",
"Mary Smith",
"Stacy Flora",
"Harry Alpert"
};
int numberOfArrayElements = array.Length;
int numberOfArrayColumns = 1;
MWCellArray cellArray =
new MWCellArray(
numberOfArrayColumns,
numberOfArrayElements);
for (int i = 1; i < array.Length + 1; i++)
{
cellArray[i] = array[i - 1];
}

Converting a List to a MATLAB Data Type

A list can be converted to several different MATLAB data types. An example
of converting a List of Strings into a cell array follows:
Java
//Create a list of data
List friendsList = new LinkedList();
friendsList.add("Jordan Robert");
friendsList.add("Mary Smith");
friendsList.add("Stacy Flora");
friendsList.add("Harry Alpert");
int numberOfListElements = friendsList.size();
int numberOfListColumns = 1;
//Create a MWCellArray to store the data
MWCellArray cellArray2 =
new MWCellArray(

4-9

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

numberOfListColumns,
numberOfListElements);
//Iterate through the list adding the elements
//
to the cell array.
Iterator friendsListItr = friendsList.iterator();
for(int i = 1;friendsListItr.hasNext(); i++)
{
String currentFriend = (String)friendsListItr.next();
cellArray2.set(i, currentFriend);
}

.NET
List<String> list = new List<String>();
list.Add("Jordan Robert");
list.Add("Mary Smith");
list.Add("Stacy Flora");
list.Add("Harry Alpert");
int numberOfArrayElements = list.Count;
int numberOfArrayColumns = 1;
MWCellArray cellArray =
new MWCellArray(
numberOfArrayColumns,
numberOfArrayElements);
int i = 1;
foreach (String currentElement in list)
{
cellArray[i] = currentElement;
i++;
}

4-10

Creating a DAO for Deployment

Converting Name Value Pairs to a MATLAB Data Type

Java (Maps)
It is common to have maps of data (name value pairs). The corresponding
.NET data type is Dictionary. The most similar data type in MATLAB is the
structure. Here is an example where you convert a map of peoples names
into a MATLAB structure.
//First we create a Java HashMap (java.util.HashMap).
Map firendsMap = new HashMap();
friendsList.put( Jordan Robert , new Integer(3386));
friendsList.put( Mary Smith , new Integer(3912));
friendsList.put( Stacy Flora , new Integer(3238));
friendsList.put( Harry Alpert , new Integer(3077));
//Now we set up the MATLAB Structure that we will fill
//
with this data.
int numberOfElements = firendsMap.size();
int numberOfColumns = 1;
String[] fieldnames = { name , phone };
MWStructArray friendsStruct =
new MWStructArray(
numberOfElements,
numberOfColumns,
fieldnames);
//Now we iterate through our map, filling in the structure
Iterator friendsMapItr = friendsMap.keySet().iterator();
for(int i = 1; friendsMapItr.hasNext(); i++)
{
String key = (String)friendsMapItr.next();
friendsStruct.set(fieldnames[0], i,
new MWCharArray(key));
friendsStruct.set(fieldnames[1], i (Integer)
friendsMap.get(key));
}

4-11

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

.NET (Dictionaries)
Dictionary<String, int> dictionary =
new Dictionary<String, int>();
dictionary.Add("Jordan Robert", 3386);
dictionary.Add("Mary Smith", 3912);
dictionary.Add("Stacy Flora", 3238);
dictionary.Add("Harry Alpert", 3077);
int numberOfElements = dictionary.Count;
int numberOfColumns = 1;
String[] fieldnames = { "name", "phone" };
MWStructArray output =
new MWStructArray(
numberOfElements,
numberOfColumns,
fieldnames);
int i = 1;
foreach (String currentKey in dictionary.Keys)
{
output[fieldnames[0], i] = currentKey;
output[fieldnames[1], i] = dictionary[currentKey];
i++;
}

Getting MATLAB Numerics from a Deployed Application

This code resides in the try block for an initialized component (see
Initializing a Component on page 4-6).
Java
Object[] numericOutput = null;
MWNumericArray numericArray = null;
try
{
numericOutput = deployment.getNumeric(1);
numericArray = (MWNumericArray)numericOutput[0];
int i = numericArray;

4-12

Creating a DAO for Deployment

}
finally
{
MWArray.disposeArray(numericArray);
}

.NET
MWNumericArray result = (MWNumericArray)deployment.getNumeric();
int resultInt = result.ToScalarInteger();

Getting MATLAB Strings from a Deployed Application

Java
Object[] stringOutput = null;
MWCharArray stringArray = null;
try
{
stringOutput = deployment.getString(1);
stringArray = (MWCharArray) stringOutput [0];
String s = stringArray;
}
finally
{
MWArray.disposeArray(stringArray);
}

.NET
MWCharArray result = (MWCharArray)deployment.getString();
String resultString = result.ToString();

Getting MATLAB Numeric Arrays from a Component

Java
Object[] numericArrayOutput = null;

4-13

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

MWNumericArray numericArray1 = null;

try
{
numericArrayOutput = deployment.getNumericArray(1);
numericArray1 = (MWNumericArray)numericArrayOutput[0];
int[] array = numericArray1.getIntData();
}
finally
{
MWArray.disposeArray(numericArray1);
}

.NET
MWNumericArray result =
(MWNumericArray)deployment.getNumericArray();
Double[] doubleArray =
(Double[])result.ToVector(MWArrayComponent.Real);

Getting Character Arrays from a Component

Java
Object[] stringArrayOutput = null
MWCharArray mwCharArray = null;
try
{
stringArrayOutput = deployment.getStringArray(1);
mwCharArray = ((MWCharArray)stringArrayOutput[0];
char[] charArray = new char[mwCharArray.numberOfElements()];
for(int i = 0; i < charArray.length; i++)
{
char currentChar =
((Character)mwCharArray.get(i+1)).charValue();
charArray[i] = currentChar;
}
}
finally
{

4-14

Creating a DAO for Deployment

MWArray.disposeArray(mwCharArray);
}

.NET
// Note that since MWCharArray doesn't have a
//
ToVector method, it is necessary
//
to iterate through and get a single
//
dimension for the output.
//
MWCharArray result =
//
(MWCharArray)deployment.getStringArray();
char[,] resultArray = (char[,])result.ToArray();
char[] outputArray = new char[resultArray.GetLength(1)];
for (int i = 0; i < resultArray.GetLength(1); i++)
{
outputArray[i] = resultArray[0, i];
}

Getting Byte Arrays from a Component

Java
Object[] byteOutput = null;
MWNumericArray numericByteArray = null;
try
{
byteOutput = deployment.getByteArray(1);
numericByteArray = (MWNumericArray)byteOutput[0];
byte[] byteArray = numericByteArray.getByteData();
}
finally
{
MWArray.disposeArray(numericByteArray);
}

.NET
MWNumericArray result =

4-15

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

(MWNumericArray)deployment.getByteArray();
byte[] outputByteArray =
(byte[])result.ToVector(MWArrayComponent.Real);

Getting Cell Arrays from a Component

Java
This example shows how to iterate through a cell array and put the elements
into a list or an array:
Object[] cellArrayOutput = null;
MWCellArray cellArray = null;
try
{
cellArrayOutput = deployment.getCellArray();
cellArray = (MWCellArray)cellArrayOutput[0];
List listOfCells = new LinkedList();
Object[] arrayOfCells =
new Object[cellArray.numberOfElements()];
for(int i = 0; i < cellArray.numberOfElements(); i++)
{
Object currentCell = cellArray.getCell(i + 1);
listOfCells.add(currentCell);
arrayOfCells[i] currentCell;
}
}
finally
{
MWArray.disposeArray(cellArray);
}

.NET
MWCellArray result = (MWCellArray)deployment.getCellArray();
List<Object> outputList = new List<Object>();

4-16

Creating a DAO for Deployment

Object[] outputArray = new Object[result.NumberOfElements];

for (int i = 0; i < result.NumberOfElements; i++)
{
outputArray[i] = result[i + 1];
outputList.Add(result[i + 1]);
}

Getting Structures from a Component

Java
Object[] structureOutput = deployment.getStruct(1);
MWStructArray structureArray =
(MWStructArray)structureOutput[0];
try
{
Object[] structureOutput = deployment.getStruct(1);
structureArray = (MWStructArray)structureOutput[0];
Map mapOfStruct = new HashMap();
for(int i = 0; i < structureArray.fieldName().length(); i++)
{
String keyName = structureArray.fieldNames()[i];
Object value = structureArray.getField(i + 1);
mapOfStruct.put(keyName, value);
}
}
finally
{
MWArray.disposeArray(structureArray);
}

.NET
MWStructArray result = (MWStructArray)deployment.getStruct();

4-17

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

Dictionary<Object, Object> output =

new Dictionary<Object, Object>();
for (int i = 0; i < result.FieldNames.Length; i++)
{
output.Add(result.FieldNames[i],
result.GetField(result.FieldNames[i]));
}

Getting a WebFigure from a Component and Attaching It to

a Page
Java
For more information about WebFigures, see About the WebFigures Feature
in the MATLAB Builder JA documentation.
Object[] webFigureOutput = null;
MWJavaObjectRef webFigureReference = null;
try
{
webFigureOutput = deployment.getWebFigure(1);
webFigureReference = (MWJavaObjectRef)webFigureOutput[0];
WebFigure f = (WebFigure)webFigureReference.get();
}
finally
{
MWArray.disposeArray(webFigureOutput);
MWArray.disposeArray(webFigureReference);
}
//forward the request to the View layer (response.jsp)
RequestDispatcher dispatcher =
request.getRequestDispatcher( /response.jsp );
dispatcher.forward(request, response);

4-18

Creating a DAO for Deployment

Note This code will not do anything if executed directly. It needs a

response.jsp to produce output.

.NET
For more information about WebFigures, see WebFigures in the MATLAB
Builder NE documentation. The first two lines of code will not do anything if
executed directly. It needs a WebFigureControl on a front end page that is
called WebFigureControl1. If you are not using a local WebFigureControl
and want to simply return the WebFigure in the current response object,
use this code, for example:
WebFigure webFigure = new WebFigure(deployment.getWebFigure());
WebFigureControl1.WebFigure = webFigure;
//First, attach the webfigure to one of ASP.NET's caches,
// in this case the session cache
Session["SessionStateWebFigure"] = webFigure;
//Now, use a WebFigure Utility to get an HTML String that
// will display this figure, Notice
// how we reference the name we used when attaching it
// to the cache and we indicate
// that the Attach type is session.
String localEmbedString =
WebFigureServiceUtility.GetHTMLEmbedString(
"SessionStateWebFigure",
WebFigureAttachType.session,
300,
300);
Response.Write(localEmbedString);

Getting Encoded Image Bytes from an Image in a Component

Java
public byte[] getByteArrayFromDeployedComponent()

4-19

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

{
Object[] byteImageOutput = null;
MWNumericArray numericImageByteArray = null;
try
{
byteImageOutput =
deployment.getImageDataOrientation(
1,
//Number Of Outputs
500,
//Height
500,
//Width
30,
//Elevation
30,
//Rotation
"png"
//Image Format
);
numericImageByteArray =
(MWNumericArray)byteImageOutput[0];
return numericImageByteArray.getByteData();
}
finally
{
MWArray.disposeArray(byteImageOutput);
}
}

.NET
public byte[] getByteArrayFromDeployedComponent()
{
MWArray width = 500;
MWArray height = 500;
MWArray rotation = 30;
MWArray elevation = 30;
MWArray imageFormat = "png";
MWNumericArray result =
(MWNumericArray)deployment.getImageDataOrientation(
height,
width,
elevation,

4-20

Creating a DAO for Deployment

rotation,
imageFormat);
return (byte[])result.ToVector(MWArrayComponent.Real);
}

Getting a Buffered Image in a Component

Java
public byte[] getByteArrayFromDeployedComponent()
{
Object[] byteImageOutput = null;
MWNumericArray numericImageByteArray = null;
try
{
byteImageOutput =
deployment.getImageDataOrientation(
1,
//Number Of Outputs
500,
//Height
500,
//Width
30,
//Elevation
30,
//Rotation
"png"
//Image Format
);
numericImageByteArray =
(MWNumericArray)byteImageOutput[0];
return numericImageByteArray.getByteData();
}
finally
{
MWArray.disposeArray(byteImageOutput);
}
}
public BufferedImage getBufferedImageFromDeployedComponent()
{
try
{

4-21

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

byte[] imageByteArray =
getByteArrayFromDeployedComponent()
return ImageIO.read
(new ByteArrayInputStream(imageByteArray));
}
catch(IOException io_ex)
{
io_ex.printStackTrace();
}
}

.NET
public byte[] getByteArrayFromDeployedComponent()
{
MWArray width = 500;
MWArray height = 500;
MWArray rotation = 30;
MWArray elevation = 30;
MWArray imageFormat = "png";
MWNumericArray result =
(MWNumericArray)deployment.getImageDataOrientation(
height,
width,
elevation,
rotation,
imageFormat);
return (byte[])result.ToVector(MWArrayComponent.Real);
}
public Image getImageFromDeployedComponent()
{
byte[] byteArray = getByteArrayFromDeployedComponent();
MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream(myByteArray, 0,
myByteArray.Length);
ms.Write(myByteArray, 0, myByteArray.Length);
return Image.FromStream(ms, true);
}

4-22

Creating a DAO for Deployment

Getting Image Data from a WebFigure

The following example shows how to get image data from a WebFigure object.
It also shows how to specify the image type and the orientation of the image.
.NET
WebFigure figure =
new WebFigure(deployment.getWebFigure());
WebFigureRenderer renderer =
new WebFigureRenderer();
//Creates a parameter object that can be changed
// to represent a specific WebFigure and its orientation.
//If you dont set any values it uses the defaults for that
// figure (what they were when the figure was created in M).
WebFigureRenderParameters param =
new WebFigureRenderParameters(figure);
param.Rotation = 30;
param.Elevation = 30;
param.Width = 500;
param.Height = 500;
//If you need a byte array that can be streamed out
// of a web page you can use this:
byte[] outputImageAsBytes =
renderer.RenderToEncodedBytes(param);
//If you need a .NET Image (can't be used on the web)
// you can use this code:
Image outputImageAsImage =
renderer.RenderToImage(param);

4-23

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

Hosting a DAO on a Web Server

After you construct your DAO, you need to expose the wrapped service(s)
via the Web.
There are many things to consider with regards to exposing the service.
For example, a JSP is not suited for binary streaming since the J2EE
infrastructure already wraps the output stream. In each of the following
sections, some basic concepts that can be used in a realistic system are
demonstrated. Typically, the response is not simply dumped to the output
stream, but instead wrapped in a more complex XML document or Web
service. Using these templates as a guide, you can extend these examples
using similar patterns. For each of these examples, refer to the DAO class
defined in Creating a DAO for Deployment on page 4-6. This DAO takes
care of MATLAB specific data conversion and data clean-up tasks.

Hosting the DAO with a Servlet

Note that the DAO is initialized in the init method of the servlet. When you
create and access a component created with the builders, an instance of the
MCR is created that the component communicates with in order to handle
MATLAB tasks. This can incur much overhead if performed every time a user
accesses the servlet. Alternately, by performing initialization in the init
method, it is performed once for all sessions using the servlet. If you want to
rebuild each time, place the call within a doget method.
It is also possible that neither of the above approaches will meet your needs
since they initialize once per servlet, rather then once per server. If this is
an issue, use a singleton object that is instantiated in a Context Listener
class (a class that extends ServletContextListener). This class has a
contextInitialized method and a contextDestroyed method which get
called automatically when the server starts or is stopped. This allows all of
your applications to access the singleton and access component objects as
needed.
1 Create a staging folder, if one does not exist, under the folder where your

component resides on your Web server. The DAO must reside in this folder,
in a Java archive file (JAR), on the class path so it can be imported.
2 Initialize the DAO using the following examples as templates:

4-24

Hosting a DAO on a Web Server

Initializing the DAO for a Servlet

package examples;
import
import
import
import
import
import
import
import

java.io.IOException;
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
javax.servlet.ServletException;
javax.servlet.ServletConfig;
java.util.*;
com.mathworks.toolbox.javabuilder.webfigures.WebFigure;

public class ExamplesServlet extends HttpServlet

{
Examples examples = null;
public void init(ServletConfig config) throws
ServletException
{
super.init(config);
try
{
examples = new Examples();
}
catch(Exception e)
{
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
public void destroy()
{
super.destroy();
examples.dispose();
}
protected void doGet(final HttpServletRequest request,
HttpServletResponse response)

4-25

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

throws ServletException, IOException

{
try
{
//***********************************
//**All code using the DAO would go here
//**Any of the below examples can be pasted here
//***********************************
int integer = examples.getIntFromMWNumericArray();
response.getOutputStream().println("int: " + integer);
}
catch(Exception e)
{
e.printStackTrace();
response.getOutputStream().println("ERROR "+
e.getMessage());
}
}
}

Numeric
int integer = examples.getIntFromMWNumericArray();
response.getOutputStream().println("int: " + integer);

String
String string = examples.getStringFromMWCharArray();
response.getOutputStream().println("String: " + string);

Numeric Array
int[] intArray = examples.getIntArrayFromMWNumericArray();
response.getOutputStream().println("Numeric Array: ");
for(int i = 0; i<intArray.length;i++)
{
response.getOutputStream().println("Array index("+ i+"): " +
intArray[i]);
}

4-26

Hosting a DAO on a Web Server

Character Array
char[] charArray = examples.getCharArrayFromMWCharArray();
response.getOutputStream().println("Char Array: ");
for(int i = 0; i<charArray.length;i++)
{
response.getOutputStream().println
("Array index("+ i +"): " +
charArray[i]);
}

Cell Array To Array

Object[] array = examples.getArrayFromCellArray();
for(int i = 0; i < array.length; i++)
{
response.getOutputStream().println("Array index("+ i+"): " +
array[i]);
}

Cell Array To List

List list = examples.getListFromCellArray();
Iterator listItr = list.iterator();
while(listItr.hasNext())
{
response.getOutputStream().println("List Item: " +
listItr.next());
}

Structure To Map
Map map = examples.getMapFromStruct();
response.getOutputStream().println("Structure Array: ");
Iterator mapKeyItr = map.keySet().iterator();
while(mapKeyItr.hasNext())
{
String mapKey = (String)mapKeyItr.next();
Object mapValue = map.get(mapKey);
response.getOutputStream().println("KEY: " + mapKey + "
"VALUE: " + mapValue);

" +

4-27

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

Byte Array
byte[] byteArray = examples.getByteArrayFromMWNumeric();
response.getOutputStream().println("Byte Array: ");
for(int i = 0; i<byteArray.length;i++)
{
response.getOutputStream().print(byteArray[i]);
}
response.getOutputStream().write(byteArray);

Images (WebFigures)
This example is very similar to examples in the MATLAB Builder JA
documentation, but this example guide code also uses our DAO.
HttpSession session = request.getSession();
WebFigure userPlot =
(WebFigure)session.getAttribute("UserPlot");
// if this is the first time doGet has been called
// for this session,
// create the plot and WebFigure object
if (userPlot== null)
{
userPlot = examples.getWebFigureFromMWJavaObjectRef();
// store the figure in the session context
session.setAttribute("UserPlot", userPlot);
// bind the figure's lifetime to the session
session.setAttribute(
"UserPlotBinder",
new MWHttpSessionBinder(userPlot));
}
WebFigureHtmlGenerator webFigureHtmlGen =
new WebFigureHtmlGenerator( WebFigures ,getServletContext());

4-28

Hosting a DAO on a Web Server

String outputString =
webFigureHtmlGen.getFigureEmbedString(
userPlot,
"UserPlot",
"session",
"700",
"700",
null);
response.getOutputStream().print(outputString);

WebFigure to Bytes
byte[] byteArrayFromWebFigure =
examples.getByteArrayFromWebFigure();
response.getOutputStream().write(byteArrayFromWebFigure);

Raw Image Bytes

byte[] rawImageBytes =
examples.getImageByteArrayFromMWNumericArray();
response.getOutputStream().write(rawImageBytes);

Raw Image Bytes with Reorientation

Note This example allows you to perform similar functionality to
the example Implement a Custom WebFigure, but in a manual
implementation. It is one of many ways you can implement this
functionality in a stateless manner.

int height = Integer.parseInt(request.getParameter("height"));

int width = Integer.parseInt(request.getParameter("width"));
int elevation =
Integer.parseInt(request.getParameter("elevation"));
int rotation =
Integer.parseInt(request.getParameter("rotation"));
String imageFormat = request.getParameter("imageFormat");
byte[] rawImageBytes =

4-29

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

examples.getImageByteArrayFromMWNumericArrayWithOrientation(
height,
width,
elevation,
rotation,
imageFormat);
response.getOutputStream().write(rawImageBytes);
3 Inside the staging folder you created at the start of this procedure, create a

WEB-INF folder.
4 Inside the WEB-INF folder, create two additional folders:

classes
lib
5 Place all of the class files (including the DAO created in Creating a DAO

for Deployment on page 4-6) into the class folder within the appropriate
package folders that exist.
6 Copy the component JAR file into the lib folder.
7 Create a web.xml file in the WEB-INF folder.

This file provides the Web server with a valid path into your code and
defines the entry point into that code. Use this template as an example:
Example of a web.xml File Used in a Java Servlet Component
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE web-app PUBLIC "-//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD
Web Application 2.3//EN"
"http://www.Oracle.com/servers/dtd/web-app_2_3.dtd">
<web-app>
<servlet>
<servlet-name>ExamplesServlet
</servlet-name>
<servlet-class>examples.ExamplesServlet
</servlet-class>
</servlet>

4-30

Hosting a DAO on a Web Server

<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>ExamplesServlet</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>/ExamplesServlet</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>
</web-app>

The following URL accesses this servlet with the configuration described
above:
http://localhost:8080/Examples/ExamplesServlet

Note the Examples string in the URL, since the JAR is named
Examples.jar. Using this string sets up the correct server context and is a
customizable attribute within the console of many Web servers.
8 Using the java -jar command, bundle the folders you created into a WAR

(Web archive) and place it in your Web servers component folder.

Note Some Web servers require you to register the application before it is
accessible, usually by referencing the WAR from within the administrators
console.

Hosting a DAO Using a Java Web Service

More and more companies are hosting services on the Web, often times with
SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). This exposes business functions
through simple services. Each of these services performs a specific task.
Since SOAP is an established standard that is supported by many different
languages and third-party applications, it is extremely versatile. You can
use a SOAP Web service directly in Microsoft Excel with no prior knowledge
of the services implementation. Multiple language support makes SOAP
suitable for use with primitive data types.
Although these primitives can be wrapped in a number of complex object
structures, the examples in this section will cover fundamental use cases that
should be the same, regardless of data structure and business objects.

4-31

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

In this section, you will learn how to create basic Java objects that handle
business logic, while Apache Axis2 performs the mechanics involved with
turning the logic a Web service and exposing it. Alternatively, you can start
by using WSDL (Web Service Definition Language the definition of your
service) and generate Java from that. Afterward you can customize the Java
with your business logic, or change the WSDL manually in a number of other
ways to meet your needs.

Setting Up the Root Web Service Class

Since Axis2 supports Java Objects, you will create a shell class to contain all
the service methods:
package examples;
public class ExamplesWebService
{
//***************************
//**Place service methods here
//**For our examples we will only
//**be taking in and returning
//**primitive values
//***************************
}

Interacting with the DAO

Some examples of how to use the DAO with various data types follow:
Numeric
public int getInt()
{
Examples examples = new Examples();
int integer = examples.getIntFromMWNumericArray();
examples.dispose();
return integer;
}

4-32

Hosting a DAO on a Web Server

String
public String getString()
{
Examples examples = new Examples();
String string = examples.getStringFromMWCharArray();
examples.dispose();
return string;
}

Numeric Array
public int[] getIntArray()
{
Examples examples = new Examples();
int[] intArray = examples.getIntArrayFromMWNumericArray();
examples.dispose();
return intArray;
}

Character Array
public char[] getCharArray()
{
Examples examples = new Examples();
char[] charArray = examples.getCharArrayFromMWCharArray();
examples.dispose();
return charArray;
}

Byte Array
public byte[] getByteArray()
{
Examples examples = new Examples();
byte[] byteArray = examples.getByteArrayFromMWNumeric();
examples.dispose();
return byteArray;
}

4-33

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

Raw Image Bytes

Raw Image Bytes
public byte[] getImageByteArray()
{
Examples examples = new Examples();
byte[] rawImageBytes =
examples.getImageByteArrayFromMWNumericArray();
examples.dispose();
return rawImageBytes;
}

Raw Image Bytes with Reorientation

public byte[] reorientAndGetImageByteArray(
int height,
int width,
int elevation,
int rotation,
String imageFormat)
{
Examples examples = new Examples();
byte[] rawImageBytes =
examples.getImageByteArrayFromMWNumericArrayWithOrientation(
height,
width,
elevation,
rotation,
imageFormat);
examples.dispose();
return rawImageBytes;
}

Deploying the Web Service

1 Create a staging folder, if one does not exist, and copy the Examples DAO

class created in Creating a DAO for Deployment on page 4-6 and the
Web service class created in Setting Up the Root Web Service Class on
page 4-32into it.

4-34

Hosting a DAO on a Web Server

2 Create a lib folder and copy your deployed component into it.
3 Create a meta-inf folder and, inside it, create a services.xml file with

these contents:
<service>
<parameter name="ServiceClass"
locked="false">examples.ExamplesWebService</parameter>
<operation name="getInt">
<messageReceiver
class="org.apache.axis2.rpc.receivers.RPCMessageReceiver"/>
</operation>
<operation name="getString">
<messageReceiver
class="org.apache.axis2.rpc.receivers.RPCMessageReceiver"/>
</operation>
<operation name="getIntArray">
<messageReceiver
class="org.apache.axis2.rpc.receivers.RPCMessageReceiver"/>
</operation>
<operation name="getCharArray">
<messageReceiver
class="org.apache.axis2.rpc.receivers.RPCMessageReceiver"/>
</operation>
<operation name="getByteArray">
<messageReceiver
class="org.apache.axis2.rpc.receivers.RPCMessageReceiver"/>
</operation>
<operation name="getImageByteArray">
<messageReceiver
class="org.apache.axis2.rpc.receivers.RPCMessageReceiver"/>
</operation>
</service>

The services.xml file tells Axis2 which methods to expose, and what
mechanism to use to expose them.
4 Copy all of the files into a WAR (Web archive) file and place them in the

axis2 component folder (axis2/WEB-INF/services). Use the java -jar

4-35

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

command but give the output file an .aar extension rather than a .jar
extension.
5 You should now see your service running in the Axis console. From the

console, note the URL for the WSDL file. You will use this URL in other
applications to communicate with your Web service.

Hosting a .NET DAO with ASPX

Initializing the DAO
Before a DAO can be used, it must be initialized. The basic template to
initialize a .NET DAO looks like this:
using
using
using
using
using
using
using
using
using

System;
System.Data;
System.Configuration;
System.Web;
System.Web.Security;
System.Web.UI;
System.Web.UI.WebControls;
System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts;
System.Web.UI.HtmlControls;

public partial class _Default : System.Web.UI.Page

{
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Examples.Examples examples = new Examples.Examples();
//***************************************
//**This is where the examples would be pasted in
//***************************************
//for Examples:
int integer = examples.getIntFromMWNumericArray();
Response.Write("int: " + integer);
examples.dispose();
}
}

4-36

Hosting a DAO on a Web Server

Interacting with the DAO

Some examples of how to use the DAO with various data types follow:
Numeric
int integer = examples.getIntFromMWNumericArray();
Response.Write("int: " + integer);

String
String stringResult = examples.getStringFromMWCharArray();
Response.Write("String: " + stringResult);

Double Array
double[] doubleArray =
examples.getDoubleArrayFromMWNumericArray();
Response.Write("Double Array: ");
for (int i = 0; i < doubleArray.Length; i++)
{
Response.Write("Array index(" + i + "): " + doubleArray[i]);
}

Character Array
char[] charArray = examples.getCharArrayFromMWCharArray();
Response.Write("Char Array: ");
for (int i = 0; i < charArray.Length; i++)
{
Response.Write("Array index("+ i +"): " + charArray[i]);
}

Cell Array to Array

Object[] array = examples.getArrayFromCellArray();
for (int i = 0; i < array.Length; i++)
{
Response.Write("Array index("+ i+"): " + array[i]);

4-37

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

Cell Array to List

List<Object> list = examples.getListFromCellArray();
foreach (Object currentObj in list)
{
Response.Write("List Item: " + currentObj);
}

Structure
Dictionary<Object, Object> dictionary =
examples.getDictionaryFromStruct();
Response.Write("Structure Array: ");
foreach (Object currentKey in dictionary.Keys)
{
Response.Write("Key: " + currentKey + "
Value: " +
dictionary[currentKey]);
}

Byte Array
byte[] byteArray = examples.getByteArrayFromMWNumericArray();
Response.Write("Byte Array: ");
for (int i = 0; i < byteArray.Length; i++)
{
Response.Write(byteArray[i]);
}
Response.BinaryWrite(byteArray);

Raw Image Bytes

byte[] rawImageBytes =
examples.getImageByteArrayFromMWNumericArray();
Response.BinaryWrite(rawImageBytes);

4-38

Hosting a DAO on a Web Server

Raw Image Bytes with Reorientation

Note This example allows you to perform similar functionality to what
WebFigures performs, but in a manual implementation. It is one of many
ways you can implement this functionality in a stateless manner.

int height = Convert.ToInt32(Request.Params.Get("height"));

int width = Convert.ToInt32(Request.Params.Get("width"));
int elevation =
Convert.ToInt32(Request.Params.Get("elevation"));
int rotation = Convert.ToInt32(Request.Params.Get("rotation"));
String imageFormat = Request.Params.Get("imageFormat");
byte[] rawImageBytes =
examples.getImageByteArrayFromMWNumericArrayWithOrientation(
height,
width,
elevation,
rotation,
imageFormat);
Response.BinaryWrite(rawImageBytes);

WebFigure
// In this example, we use a WebFigure Utility to get an HTML
// String that
// will display this figure, Notice
// how we reference the name we used when attaching it to the
// cache and we indicate
// that the Attach type is session.
String localEmbedString =
WebFigureServiceUtility.GetHTMLEmbedString(
"SessionStateWebFigure",
WebFigureAttachType.session,
300,
300);
Response.Write(localEmbedString);

4-39

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

Deploying the ASPX

You deploy an ASPX using the Publish functionality in Microsoft Visual
Studio. Visual Studio puts all of your code, along with any code your project
depends upon, in a folder.

Hosting a DAO Using a .NET Web Service

Setting Up the Root Web Service Class
When creating Web services within .NET, simply create a new Web site (or
use an existing site), and add an item of type Web Service to it. This will
generate the root class in which you place your methods.

Interacting with the DAO

Each of these methods would be placed in the Web service class as methods.
Numeric
[WebMethod]
public int getInt()
{
Examples.Examples examples = new Examples.Examples();
int integer = examples.getIntFromMWNumericArray();
examples.dispose();
return integer;
}

String
[WebMethod]
public String getString()
{
Examples.Examples examples = new Examples.Examples();
String stringResult = examples.getStringFromMWCharArray();
examples.dispose();
return stringResult;
}

4-40

Hosting a DAO on a Web Server

Double Array
[WebMethod]
public double[] getDoubleArray()
{
Examples.Examples examples = new Examples.Examples();
double[] doubleArray =
examples.getDoubleArrayFromMWNumericArray();
examples.dispose();
return doubleArray;
}

Double Matrix
Since .NET Web services cant support multidimensional arrays, convert what
is returned from MATLAB Builder NE into a jagged array, as follows:
[WebMethod]
public double[][] getDoubleMatrix(int argMagic)
{
Examples.ExamplesImpl examples =
new Examples.ExamplesImpl();
double[,] doubleMatrix =
examples.getDoubleMatrixFromMWNumericArray(argMagic);
int arraySize = (int)doubleMatrix.GetUpperBound(0) + 1;
double[][] outputMatrix = new double[arraySize][];
int upperOuter = i < (int)doubleMatrix.GetUpperBound(0) + 1;
for (int i = 0; upperOuter ; i++)
{
double[] subArray = new double[arraySize];
int upperInner = (int)doubleMatrix.GetUpperBound(1) + 1;
for(int j = 0; j < upperInner; j++)
{
subArray[j] = doubleMatrix[i, j];
}
outputMatrix[i] = subArray;

4-41

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

}
examples.dispose();
return outputMatrix;
}

Character Array
[WebMethod]
public char[] getCharArray()
{
Examples.Examples examples = new Examples.Examples();
char[] charArray = examples.getCharArrayFromMWCharArray();
examples.dispose();
return charArray;
}

Byte Array
[WebMethod]
public byte[] getByteArray()
{
Examples.Examples examples = new Examples.Examples();
byte[] byteArray = examples.getByteArrayFromMWNumericArray();
examples.dispose();
return byteArray;
}

Raw Image Bytes

[WebMethod]
public byte[] getImageByteArray()
{
Examples.Examples examples = new Examples.Examples();
byte[] rawImageBytes =
examples.getImageByteArrayFromMWNumericArray();
examples.dispose();
return rawImageBytes;
}

4-42

Hosting a DAO on a Web Server

Raw Image Bytes with Reorientation

[WebMethod]
public byte[] getImageByteArrayWithOrientation(
int height,
int width,
int elevation,
int rotation,
String imageFormat)
{
Examples.Examples examples = new Examples.Examples();
byte[] rawImageBytes =
examples.getImageByteArrayFromMWNumericArrayWithOrientation(
height,
width,
elevation,
rotation,
imageFormat);
examples.dispose();
return rawImageBytes;
}

Deploying the Web Service

Microsoft Visual Studio does all of the work involved with generating Web
service artifacts. Once you have created methods, just run the service. A
tester page is displayed that shows you the location of the WSDL. You can
then test each method.

4-43

4-44

Middle-Tier Developer Tasks

5
Front-End Web Developer
Tasks
Working with the Front-End Layer on page 5-2
Creating a WebFigure on a JSP Page on page 5-7
Creating a WebFigure on an ASPX Page on page 5-11
Working with Static Images on page 5-15
Displaying Complex Data Types Including Arrays and Matrices on page
5-20
Using Web Services on page 5-28

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

Working with the Front-End Layer

In this section...
About the Front-End Layer on page 5-2
About the Examples on page 5-5
Front-End Web Developer
Role

Front-end Web
developer

Knowledge Base

Responsibilities

No MATLAB experience

As service consumer, manages

presentation and usability

Minimal IT experience
Expert at usability and Web
page design
Minimal access to IT systems
Expert at JSP
Expert at ASPX

Creates front-end applications

Integrates MATLAB code with
language-specific frameworks and
environments
Integrates WebFigures with the rest
of the Web page

About the Front-End Layer

Note For comprehensive end-to-end implementations of the concepts in this
chapter, see Appendix A, Sources for More Information.
In well-designed multi-tier application architectures, the front-end layer
presents data to the end user and validates the users input. This is
accomplished by accessing data acquired at lower-level architectural tiers to
the user and taking in user inputs, validating them, and then sending them to
the lower-level tiers for processing.
The data within this layer reside on servers that are almost always outside of
the corporate firewall and therefore, accessible by everyone. Consequently,
security and stability are integral to the front-end layer, and it is important

5-2

Working with the Front-End Layer

to isolate implementation details outside of this layer so people cannot

determine how your site is architected.
A well-designed front-end layer has data access, translation and validation,
and presentation functions separated into individual logical code sections.
This increases an application or Web sites maintainability since you can
change where the data originates or the format that it arrives in without
changing user-visible code.
A typical front-end layer contains the following sublayers.

5-3

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

Elements of the Front End Layer

Data Access This sublayer pulls data in from middle-tier services like
databases, where access into a deployed application would typically take
place. Among the technologies used to transmit data at this sublayer are:

5-4

Remoting interfaces
SOAP services

Working with the Front-End Layer

XML over HTTP protocol

Translation/Validation Data is passed from the data access sublayer

to the translation sublayer and translated into objects used for data
presentation. Since these objects represent what the user sees (rather
than the underlying business logic) they are very lightweight and easy to
maintain. This is also where any validation would occur to ensure that
values are in a proper state for processing.
Presentation This layer uses the data in the business objects to display
information on a Web site. Any user input actions are validated in the
objects and, if needed, callbacks to the middle layer occur to retrieve
updates based on the user input.

About the Examples

Dealing with MATLAB data is, for the most part, no different then dealing
with other Web data except for the fact that dynamically generated images
may be involved. The examples in this document are not meant to show how
to build a Web site, but rather to demonstrate what types of building blocks
are needed to work with MATLAB data in an existing Web site. Most of these
examples can be integrated directly into larger applications containing JSP,
HTML, or ASPX code.

Surf Peaks and Magic Square Application Integration

5-5

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

The following two templates show how you can integrate applications built
with MATLAB products into a larger application. In each case, there is a
small area in the interface where your applications exist after the user enters
input (if only a mouse click).
In the left template, it is possible to have a simple IMG tag, where the src=
is a servlet from the middle tier that dumps out the image data. It is also
possible to use an interactive AJAX component embedded in a subframe, or to
use embedded WebFigures.
In the right template, clicking the Go button triggers the page to validate that
the value in the input box is valid, and then sends that data to the middle tier
service which returns a two-dimensional array. It is the front-end layers job
to format this data and present it properly.
In the examples that follow, these concepts are simplified and focus on how
the communication occurs within the middle layer, and how some typical data
translations are performed.

5-6

Creating a WebFigure on a JSP Page

Creating a WebFigure on a JSP Page

There are several ways to use WebFigures on a Web page with Java:
Return a special HTML string from the servlet which embeds the
WebFigure into a page.
Using the custom WebFigure tag library directly from the JSP, have the
servlet bind the WebFigure and redirect it to the JSP.
Generate a string from the middle tier that can be dumped directly onto a
Web page at the front end, embedding all of the WebFigure functionality
and the correct callbacks directly into the front-end page.
In each case, the WebFigure object is stored in the Web servers session. The
Java script that executes the client calls back to the server for updates and,
using the cached WebFigure, new updates are sent back to the client.
Using an HTML String
This example is very similar to what you can find in the example Implement
a Custom WebFigure, but this example also uses the DAO. The middle tier
code in Hosting the DAO with a Servlet on page 4-24 is repeated here:
HttpSession session = request.getSession();
WebFigure userPlot =
(WebFigure)session.getAttribute("UserPlot");
// if this is the first time doGet has been called for
// this session,
// create the plot and WebFigure object
if (userPlot== null)
{
userPlot = examples.getWebFigureFromMWJavaObjectRef();
// store the figure in the session context
session.setAttribute("UserPlot", userPlot);
// bind the figure's lifetime to the session
session.setAttribute(
"UserPlotBinder",

5-7

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

new MWHttpSessionBinder(userPlot));
}

Using the WebFigure Tag Library

To use the WebFigure object directly from a JSP page, reference the
webfigures tag library. This creates a WebFigure object with your objects
parameters. The UserPlot is the name of the Web object that you placed in
the cache by the middle tier.
Note Host the middle tier and the JSP on the same server.

<%@ taglib prefix="wf"

uri=
"http://www.mathworks.com/builderja/webfigures.tld" %>
< wf:web-figure
name="UserPlot"
scope="session"
root="WebFigures"
width="100%"
height="100%"/>

When using this approach, the only other code needed on the servlet is a
redirect back to the JSP that the above code resides on. In this example, this
code is contained in response.jsp. The servlet code would look like this:
RequestDispatcher dispatcher =
request.getRequestDispatcher("/response.jsp");
dispatcher.forward(request, response);

Using Embedded HTML

This option is convenient since all of the heavy lifting is done on the server
and only a string is sent to the front end. In this example, notice how the
servlet is merely referenced and dumps the contents into a Web page frame.

5-8

Creating a WebFigure on a JSP Page

Tip This technique can be used regardless of the transfer protocol or location
of the front end or back end. Since a simple string is being sent, you can
code the front-end in a number of ways, adapting nicely to a SOAP transfer,
for example.

<iframe
src ="http://localhost:8080/Examples/ExamplesServlet?
function=webFigureEmbedded"
width="590"
height="480">
</iframe>

To generate this string, run code similar to this on the servlet:

// The argument to the WebFigureHtmlGenerator
// constructor is the URL where the
// WebFigures servlet is mapped (relative to the Web a
// pplication and Servlet context)
WebFigureHtmlGenerator wfHtmlGenerator =
new WebFigureHtmlGenerator("WebFigures",
getServletContext());
String embeddedString;
try
{
//This generates a string that can be sent to the
// response that represents the WebFigure.
embeddedString =
wfHtmlGenerator.getFigureEmbedString(
userPlot,
"UserPlot",
"session",
null,
null,
null));
}
catch(MWException mwe)
{

5-9

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

throw new Exception();

}
response.getOutputStream().println(embeddedString);

5-10

Creating a WebFigure on an ASPX Page

Creating a WebFigure on an ASPX Page

There are several ways to use WebFigures on a Web page with .NET:
Using the WebFigureControl locally in design mode (the easiest approach)
Using the WebFigureControl remotely in design mode
Returning an HTML string from the ASPX code behind which embeds
the WebFigure into a page.
Using a WebFigureControl directly from the ASPX code without utilizing
the designer.
In each case, the WebFigure object is stored in the Web servers cache. The
JavaScript that executes the client calls back to the server for updates and,
using the cached WebFigure, new updates are sent back to the client. For
more information on these examples, see WebFigures in the MATLAB
Builder NE documentation.
For information on how to create the WebFigureControl in Microsoft Visual
Studio, see Quick Start Implementation of WebFigures.
Using the WebFigureControl Locally in Design Mode
1 Drag a WebFigureControl from the Microsoft Visual Studio Toolbox to

an ASPX page in design mode. This automatically adds a reference to

WebFigureService to your Web site.
2 Edit the code behind the site to attach the figure to the control, as follows:

C#:
using MyComponent;
using MathWorks.MATLAB.NET.WebFigures;

protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)

{
MyComponentclass myDeployedComponent =
new MyComponentclass();
WebFigureControl1.WebFigure =
new WebFigure(myDeployedComponent.getKnot());

5-11

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

Visual Basic:
Imports MyComponent
Imports MathWorks.MATLAB.NET.WebFigures

Protected Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As Object,

ByVal e As System.EventArgs)
Handles Me.Load
Dim myDeployedComponent As _
New MyComponentclass()
WebFigureControl1.WebFigure = _
New WebFigure(myDeployedComponent.getKnot())
End Sub

Using the WebFigureControl Remotely in Design Mode

1 Drag a WebFigureControl from the Microsoft Visual Studio Toolbox onto

an ASPX page in design mode.

2 Edit the Properties for this figure to point it to a Web site that has

webfigureservice installed and that has attached a WebFigure to the

cache. This can either be done using code as shown below or by using the
Properties window in the designer.
//This is the name that was used on the server
// when attaching the WebFigure
WebFigureControl1.Name = "UserPlot";
//By not setting this value it will try and use
// the current web site for all redirection calls
WebFigureControl1.Root = "";
//If you didn't set this or if it was set to unknown
// this would instruct the WebFigureService to look
// through the diferent caches for a WebFigure with
// this specific name.
WebFigureControl1.Scope = WebFigureAttachType.session;

5-12

Creating a WebFigure on an ASPX Page

Returning an HTML String from ASPX Code to Embed the WebFigure

into a Page.
This example is very similar to what you can find in the WebFigures article
in MATLAB Builder NE documentation, but this example also uses the DAO.
The middle tier code in Hosting a .NET DAO with ASPX on page 4-36
is repeated here:
WebFigure webFigure = new WebFigure(deployment.getWebFigure());
//First we attach the webfigure to one of ASP.NET's caches,
// in this case, the session cache
Session["SessionStateWebFigure"] = webFigure;
//Now we use a WebFigure Utility to get an HTML
// String that will display this figure, Notice
// how we reference the name we used when attaching
// it to the cache and we indicate
// that the Attach type is session.
String localEmbedString =
WebFigureServiceUtility.GetHTMLEmbedString(
"SessionStateWebFigure",
WebFigureAttachType.session,
300,
300);
Response.Write(localEmbedString);

Using a WebFigureControl Directly from ASPX Code Without Using

the Designer.
To use the WebFigure object directly from an ASPX page, manually write the
code that would otherwise be automatically added to the ASPX page. Writing
the code creates a WebFigure object with your objects parameters, as in the
following example. UserPlot is the name of the Web object that was placed in
the cache by the middle tier.
<%@ Register Assembly="WebFiguresService, Version=2.8.1.0,
Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=e1d84a0da19db86f"
Namespace="MathWorks.MATLAB.NET.WebFigures.Service"
TagPrefix="cc1" %>

5-13

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

<cc1:WebFigureControl
ID="WebFigureControl1"
runat="server"
Height="328px"
Width="399px"
Root=""
Scope="session"
Name="UserPlot"
/>

5-14

Working with Static Images

Working with Static Images

There are several options when dealing with images through a component.
You can simply save the image from the MATLAB code to a drive somewhere
using print functionality (the front end references the physical file directly).
This is not ideal since the middle tier is behind the firewall (and the front
end is in front of it), incurring possible security concerns with where the
files reside.
Using Java, you can return a Java image object from MATLAB and use it
directly from the JSP or servlet by saving it to disk or converting it to a byte
stream.
Using a Static Image In a JSP Page
The simplest option is to return a data stream from your MATLAB function as
a byte array an encoded representation of your image, a common paradigm
used when storing and retrieving images from a database. However, it
is important to consider that only an IMG tags source can be set, not its
data. The most common solution to this issue is to have the IMG tags source
reference a servlet that streams the bytes out through the output stream.
Although direct communication between a presentation object and the middle
tier usually isnt recommended, in this case it is a good solution. A common
implementation is to designate a server that only serves up images, keeping
data services and image services separate, as shown here:
<img src="http://localhost:
8080/Examples/ExamplesServlet?function=
imageBytesFromMWNumeric"
alt="MATLAB IMAGE" />

Using a Static Image in a ASPX Page

Using ASPX Image objects is almost identical to using HTML IMG tags. In
this case, simply set the ImageUrl (the source of image) to be the ASPX page
created in Deploying the ASPX on page 4-40. You can also point to a Java
middle-tier servlet that hosts the image.
<asp:Image

5-15

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

ID="Image1"
runat="server"
ImageUrl=
"http://localhost/Examples/Tester.aspx?function=
imageBytesFromMWNumeric" />

Interacting with Images Using JavaScript (for .NET or Java)

Although Creating a WebFigure on a JSP Page on page 5-7 is a good solution
for most component models, sometimes a lightweight solution is needed that
you can customize for specific tasks.
JavaScript can be employed to dynamically request new images depending
on user input. Since JavaScript is not Java, it does not require that Java
Runtime be installed. JavaScript runs in a clients browser and does not
require a Java Web server. You can use this lightweight implementation
with any of the builders. This example uses the Raw Image Bytes with
Reorientation example in Hosting a DAO Using a Java Web Service on
page 4-31 and Hosting the DAO with a Servlet on page 4-24. It waits for
the user to instigate a movement with the mouse (a mouse-drag event)
and, when the events occur, calls the server to get a new image of the new
orientation. This example, while simple, can be extended to do many other
types of image interactions.
<iframe
src ="DynamicFigure.html?url=
http://localhost:8080/Examples/ExamplesServlet?function=
imageBytesFromMWNumericWithOrientation"
width="700"
height="700">
</iframe>
DynamicFigure.html is an AJAX application that takes in a parameter (the
base function that returns an image) and accepts different orientation values:
<%@ page contentType=
"text/html;charset=UTF-8" language="java" %>
<%@ page isELIgnored ="false"%>
<html>
<head>

5-16

Working with Static Images

<title>AJAX Figure Manipulation</title>

<script type="text/javascript">
var rotationDegree = 0;
var elevationDegree = 0;
var startDragX = 0;
var startDragY = 0;
var mouseisdown = false;

function getParam(name)
{
var start=location.search.indexOf("?"+name+"=");
if (start<0) start=location.search.indexOf("&"+name+"=");
if (start<0) return '';
start += name.length+2;
var end=location.search.indexOf("&",start)-1;
if (end<0) end=location.search.length;
var result='';
for(var i=start;i<=end;i++) {
var c=location.search.charAt(i);
result=result+(c=='+'?' ':c);
}
return unescape(result);
}

function updateView()
{
var urlStr = getParam("url") +"&" +
"imageFormat=png" + "&" +
"rotation=" + rotationDegree + "&" +
"elevation=" + elevationDegree + "&" +
"width=" + contentBox.clientWidth + "&" +
"height=" + contentBox.clientHeight;
var requestedImage =
document.getElementById('currentImage');
requestedImage.src = urlStr;
requestedImage.style.visibility = 'visible';
}

5-17

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

function stopDragging(updateX,updateY)
{
rotationDegree +=
Math.round(((startDragX updateX)/2)%360);
elevationDegree +=
Math.round(-(startDragY updateY)/2);
updateView();
}
</script>
</head>
<body onresize='updateView();'>
<form name=exf1>
X Drag <input type=text name=x value="0">
Y Drag <input type=text name=y value="0">
</form>
<div style='position:absolute; background:
url("matlab.gif"); left:0; right:0;
width:100%; height:100%;'>
<img style="visibility: hidden; position:absolute;
width:100%; height:100%; left:0;
top:0" src="matlab.gif"
id="currentImage">
</div>
<div id='contentBox'
style='position:absolute; background:
url("transparent_pixel.gif");
left:0; top:0; background-color:
<%= request.getParameter("color") %>;
width:100%; height:100%; overflow:hidden;'
onmousedown="mouseisdown = true; startDragX=event.clientX;
startDragY=event.clientY;"
onmouseup="mouseisdown =
false;stopDragging(event.clientX, event.clientY);
document.exf1.x.value=0; document.exf1.y.value=0;"

5-18

Working with Static Images

onmousemove="if(mouseisdown)
{document.exf1.x.value=event.clientX-startDragX;
document.exf1.y.value=event.clientY-startDragY;}">
</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
updateView();
</script>
</body>
</html>

5-19

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

Displaying Complex Data Types Including Arrays and

Matrices
You typically translate raw matrix array data to a form of displayable output.
This section provides examples using Java and .NET.
Working with JSP Page Data
In this example, a two-dimensional array (the output of a magic square, for
example) is converted to an HTML table from a JSP page. This example
assumes you have gotten the data from the middle tier and have converted it
back to an array.
<table border=0 cellpadding=4
cellspacing=4 style='margin: 16px;'>
<%
double[][] square = getMatrix();
for (double[] row : square)
{
pageContext.getOut().print("<tr>");
for(double value : row)
{
pageContext.getOut().print("<td>" + (int)value + "</td>");
}
pageContext.getOut().print("</tr>");
}
%>

Working with ASPX Page Data

The following examples use basic ASPX pages and can be incorporated into a
large enterprise site.
The easiest way to output a matrix is to iterate the array and then convert it
into an HTML table. Unfortunately, this approach is not maintainable for
large volumes of data, but is worth exploring in this example, assuming you
have communicated with the middle tier and received a two-dimensional

5-20

Displaying Complex Data Types Including Arrays and Matrices

array of data. Assuming you have a label on the ASPX page called MatrixLbl,
here is the code to output the matrix:
int size = 5;
double[][] magicSquare = getMagicSquare(size);
String temp = "";
temp +="<table border=0 cellpadding=4
cellspacing=4 style='margin: 16px;'>";
for (int i = 0; i < size; i++)
{
temp += "<tr>";
for (int j = 0; j < size; j++)
{
temp += "<td>" + magicSquare[i][j] + "</td>";
}
temp += "</tr>";
}
MatrixLbl.Text = temp;

Using ASP.NET to Integrate with WYSIWYG Controls

ASP.NET provides a number of streamlined methods to place a grid of data
on a Web page, such as mapping the data into a DataTable and referencing
the DataTable from an ObjectDataSources Select method. By choosing
this option, you promote reuse and also maintain separation between the
applications visualization and logic.
You must first place a GridView onto a page, and then bind it to a data
source. By using an Object data source, you allow an object to dynamically get
the data from some location (like a middle tier), and put it into a DataTable.
Once this is done, the GridView will automatically display it.
Here is an example of using the Select method in your business object:
public DataTable getMagicSquare(int size)
{
//Gets the matrix from the web service.
double[][] magicSquare = getMatrix(size);

5-21

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

//Create an empty data table to put the matrix data in.

DataTable table = new DataTable();
//Since we know its a square add as many
// columns as there will be rows.
for(int i = 0; i<size; i++)
{
table.Columns.Add();
}
DataRow row;
//Iterate each element in the array creating a row out of each
for(int i = 0; i < size;i++)
{
//create a row from the table to put the data in
row = table.NewRow();
//Iterate each element in the inner array and put
// them into the row
for (int j = 0; j < size; j++)
{
row[j] = magicSquare[i][j];
}
//Add the row to the table
table.Rows.Add(row);
}
return table;
}

Note If you are using Handle Graphics functions with ASP.NET, you may
need to enable interaction between IIS and the desktop. For information
about how to accomplish this, see the related workaround in the Diagnostic
Messages section of the MATLAB Builder NE Users Guide.

5-22

Displaying Complex Data Types Including Arrays and Matrices

Working with ASP.NET Using the Visual Studio Wizard

This section demonstrates how to perform the implementation described
in Working With ASP.NET when using the Visual Studio wizards and a
typical Web page application. Perform the following steps to set up the data
source, bind it to a load method, and bind the methods input parameter to
the text box.
Below is an input text box and a generic grid component from a Web page.
The grid component is connected to the ObjectDataSource.

1 Start Visual Studio and configure the data source with the wizard.
2 Choose the business class that contains your methods for the object.

5-23

5-24

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

Displaying Complex Data Types Including Arrays and Matrices

3 Select the method that returns a data table containing the data to display.

5-25

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

4 Since the method requires an input, bind it to the control that contains the

value and set the default.

The finished application looks like this.

5-26

Displaying Complex Data Types Including Arrays and Matrices

5 Click the Build Square button to reselect the grid data.

Note If you are using Handle Graphics functions with ASP.NET, you may
need to enable interaction between IIS and the desktop. For information
about how to accomplish this, see the related workaround in the Diagnostic
Messages section of the MATLAB Builder NE Users Guide.

5-27

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

Using Web Services

Displaying Web Services Images and Data in PHP
If your installation has a strong investment in PHP front ends, consider using
them to display Web Services running MATLAB applications.
As long as your business tier services output data in a generic
nonlanguage-specific manner (as most of the examples in this document
support), you can embed that output within any Web front end. This example
demonstrates how to use SOAP Web services to embed an image onto a PHP
page:
//References a soap library and loads the WSDL.
include("lib/nusoap.php");
$soapclient = new soapclient
('http://localhost:3465/
SurfPeaksWebServiceServer/Service.asmx?WSDL',
true);
//If we had any parameters to pass
// we would add them to this array.
$params = array();
//Calls the service with the parameters.
$result = $soapclient -> call("SurfPeaksWebService", $params);
//Gets the encoded responce out of the result object.
$base64EncodedResult = $result["SurfPeaksWebServiceResult"];
//Decodes and displays the result.
echo base64_decode($base64EncodedResult);
//Unloads the soap client.
unset($soapclient);

You can use this technique to access data services, as well:

1 Install PHP 5.2.3 into IIS 5, if needed (the installer lets you specify the

server type).

5-28

Using Web Services

2 Download NUSOAP and place it on the instance path.

You should be able to use any SOAP add-in. However, note that the call
syntax may change slightly. Consult the add-in documentation for further
information.
Displaying Web Services Images and Data in .NET
In Working with the Business Service Layer, you exposed several methods
as SOAP Web services. To use these methods from the front end, add a
reference to them in your Visual Studio project by adding a Web Reference:
1 In Visual Studio, right-click the project name and select Add Web

Reference.
2 In the URL field, enter the path to your WSDL.
3 Click Go. The resulting dialog resembles this.

Notice how all of the methods exposed earlier are displayed.

4 To add these methods to your project, click Add Reference.

5-29

Front-End Web Developer Tasks

5 To use any of the methods, instantiate the Web service by executing code

similar to:
localhost.ExamplesWebService webService =
new localhost.ExamplesWebService();
6 Access any of the methods on the Web service as you would any other .NET

object. Here are some examples:

int intValue = webService.getInt();
string stringValue = webService.getString();
double[] doubleArray = webService.getDoubleArray();
double[][] magicSquare = webService.getDoubleMatrix(size);
char[] charArray = webService.getCharArray();
byte[] bytesArray = webService.getByteArray();
byte[] imageByteArray = webService.getImageBytesArray();
byte[] imageByteArrayWithOrientation =
webService.getImageByteArrayWithOrientation( 500,
500, 20, 30, "png");

5-30

6
Server Administrator Tasks
Managing a Deployment Server Environment on page 6-2
Hot Deployment on page 6-12
Working with Multiple Versions of the MATLAB Compiler Runtime
(MCR) on page 6-13
Unsupported Versions of the JVM on page 6-14

Server Administrator Tasks

Managing a Deployment Server Environment

In this section...
The Server Administrators Role in Deployment on page 6-2
An Overview of Deployed Applications on page 6-3
Installing the MATLAB Compiler Runtime (MCR) on page 6-3
Loading the MATLAB Compiler Runtime (MCR) on page 6-6
Scaling Your Server Environment on page 6-8
Ensuring Fault Tolerance on page 6-10
Server Administrator
No MATLAB experience
Server
administrator

IT Expert
Understands server
architectures
Understands language-specific
frameworks and environments

Manages uptime of production

servers
Ensures that services are scalable
enough to meet SLA requirements
Maintains multiple versions of the
MCR and Deployed component
versions
Manages framework versions

The Server Administrators Role in Deployment

In many organizations, integration developers do not handle actual production
systems. Instead, a group of people that have access to these systems and
manage various applications running on shared hardware take responsibility
for this task.
System management requires ensuring that one set of applications does
not affect another and also managing version conflicts that arise. Another
concern of the server administrator is monitoring system up-time. The
following sections discuss the nuances of the deployment products and what
the server administrator role needs to do to ensure a successful deployment.

6-2

Managing a Deployment Server Environment

It provides different methods of dealing with common issues that can affect
stability and performance.

An Overview of Deployed Applications

You can compare the relationship between compiled Java code and the JRE
to the relationship between a compiled MATLAB program and the MCR. To
execute Java code, you need a compatible version of the JRE on the system
to execute it.
The deployment products, similarly, provide the compiled MATLAB
application with a language-specific wrapper. The MCR provides the run-time
infrastructure that runs deployed applications. It is made up of mostly native
code.
When a deployed application integrates with a .NET or Java application, it
resembles the figure An Integrated Deployed Application.

An Integrated Deployed Application

In this figure, you can see how the MCR (a large native code base) exists
within the outer process of the frameworks. This coexistence can cause issues,
as illustrated later in this chapter.

Installing the MATLAB Compiler Runtime (MCR)

Because the MCR provides the run-time infrastructure that runs deployed
applications, it is a large application made up mostly of unmanaged code.

6-3

Server Administrator Tasks

It comprises an almost full copy of MATLAB, only distributable. It has

no desktop and only executes encrypted code generated by the MATLAB
Compiler and builders. For a deployed application to function against the
MCR, you include references to specific directories on your Windows, Linux,
or Mac OS X path. For more information, see End User Installation with the
MATLAB Compiler Runtime (MCR).

The MATLAB Compiler Runtime (MCR) Installer

The MCR Installer ships with MATLAB. You obtain it from the MATLAB
programmer who originally compiled the application. The version number
of the MCR Installer is the same as the version number of MATLAB. The
platform you install it on is the same as the platform on which MATLAB runs.
The installer places the MATLAB libraries in a configurable location and, on
Windows, automatically updates the system path.
You sometimes run a deployed component on a different platform than where
it originated (especially for the Java target). To port across platforms, you
need a version of the MATLAB installer for your target platform.

Helper Library Locations

For both MATLAB Builder NE, and MATLAB Builder JA, a Helper Library
ships with the MCR. This library contains information for communicating
with the MCR. It also communicates with helper utilities and data types
implemented by the wrapper code. Using these wrappers, you can convert
your data to and from MATLAB data types.
.NET
For .NET, the Helper Library resides at the following location:
mcrroot\toolbox\dotnetbuilder\bin\win32|win64\vmajor.minor\MWArray.dll
Contains MATLAB data type wrappers, utilities, and MCR
communication utilities
mcrroot\toolbox\dotnetbuilder\bin\win32|win64\
vmajor.minor\WebFiguresService.dll Contains WebFiguresService,
WebFigureControl, , and WebFigure rendering utilities)

6-4

Managing a Deployment Server Environment

Note vmajor.minor denotes the version of the .NET framework. See

MATLAB Builder NE Release Notes for a list of supported framework versions.

Note mcrroot is the MCRs installation directory.

Both of these libraries install into the Global Assembly Cache (see Using
Global Assembly Cache (Global.asax) to Create WebFigures at Server
Start-Up) automatically when you install the MCR. Although they reside
in the GAC, you reference them from Microsoft Visual Studio during
development. If you are using the WebFigureControl from within Visual
Studio, drag the WebFiguresService.dll into the toolbox.
You can have multiple versions of this library in the GAC.
Java
For Java, the Helper Library resides at the following location:
mcrroot\toolbox\javabuilder\jar\javabuilder.jar
Place this JAR-file on the classpath exactly one time for any Java application
that uses a deployed application.
For a Web server, place this component in the shared library location for
your server to allow all Web applications to inherit these libraries. In older
versions of Tomcat, this directory is tomcat_root/common/lib/.
Caution Placing javabuilder.jar in the WEB-INF/Lib folder for a single
Web application generally works. However, if another application also places
javabuilder.jar in its WEB-INF/Lib locations, problems may occur. The
native resources associated with javabuilder.jar can be loaded only once in
an application. Therefore, javabuilder.jar must only be visible to a single
class loader.

6-5

Server Administrator Tasks

Note mcrroot is the MCRs installation directory.

Loading the MATLAB Compiler Runtime (MCR)

Because deployed applications use the MCR at runtime, the MCR must be
loaded and running. The MCR loads when a class in a deployed component is
instantiated for the first time.
MCR loading can take anywhere from 10 seconds to over a minute (if the
MCR resides on a network). To ensure a consistent user experience for Web
applications, load the MCR at server start-up time, rather than upon first use,
by instantiating a class as part of the server initialization.

.NET
In ASP.NET Web applications, create a Global Assembly Cache (Global.asax)
using this code:
<%@ Application Language="C#" %>
<script runat="server">
void Application_Start(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Code that runs on application startup
myComponent.MyComponent comp =
new myComponent.MyComponent();
}
</script>

For more information about the Global.asax file, see Using Global Assembly
Cache (Global.asax) to Create WebFigures at Server Start-Up.
Note You do not need to dispose of the component. With MATLAB Builder
NE, you utilize the garbage collector to clean up these objects, even though
they reference native components.

6-6

Managing a Deployment Server Environment

Java
In a J2EE server, you write a ContextListener class that contains code the
server automatically runs when you install or remove the application.
1 Utilize the class by placing the following code in your web.xml file:

<listener>
<listener-class>myContextListenerClass</listener-class>
</listener>
2 Place this code in your class:

import javax.servlet.*;
public final class myContextListener
implements ServletContextListener
{
public void contextInitialized(ServletContextEvent event)
{
// This method is called when the application
//
is first deployed in the server
//Instantiate the deployed component,
// this will trigger the MCR to be started
event.getServletContext().setAttribute
(
"myComponent",
new myComponent.MyComponent());
}
public void contextDestroyed(ServletContextEvent event)
{
// This method is called when the application
//
is shut down on the server
myComponent.MyComponent myComp =
event.getServletContext().
getAttribute("myComponent");
if(myComp != null)
{
//
Dispose of the object when the

6-7

Server Administrator Tasks

//
server is shut down
//
since it utilizes native resources
//
that the garbage
//
collector won't clean up.
myComp.dispose();
}
}
}

Scaling Your Server Environment

There are two methods to achieving scalability:
Calculation Scaling on page 6-8
Session Scaling on page 6-8

Calculation Scaling
Calculation scaling involves increasing computer resources to scale and
improve performance for a specific calculation. In MATLAB, the Parallel
Computing Toolbox enables your MATLAB code to use features built into
the MATLAB Language. These features tie into a profile and enable your
functions to run in parallel. Parallel processing can drastically speed up the
execution of a function.
There are multiple strategies towards make your applications scalableone
is done by writing your MATLAB code to scale to a parallel computing
algorithm. You may ultimately have calculation scaling as well as Session
Scaling on page 6-8 to optimize performance.

Session Scaling
Session scaling involves enabling the maximum number of users while
minimizing performance degradation.
Many session scaling issues arise because the MCR is single threaded. A
single-threaded application prevents two users from doing work that involves
the MCR at the same time. One user must wait for the other to finish before
continuing. This wait can prove to be substantial if one user is performing a
resource-intensive task while the other is attempting a quick calculation.

6-8

Managing a Deployment Server Environment

To workaround the situation, enable multiple MCRs to service requests as

they arrive. Run several MCRs in separate processes; one process per MCR.
Using this technique, you can create a separate server process that receives
requests, runs the requests against one of the processes, and returns the
result.
In one solution, servers reside in a third-party grid managed by a tool that
spawns processes for each instance. Alternatively, you create your own
pooling solution and manage these processes manually. For either approach,
you accomplish the communication using either Java RMI or Creating a
Remotable .NET Component because deployed components and data types
can be serialized.
In most cases, MATLAB code executes quickly, and you do not need to do
anything to get your desired level of performance. As a best practice, start
with a single MCR. As your usage grows, add in a scaling layer as needed.
Adding another layer involves minimal client changes.

6-9

Server Administrator Tasks

Remote Scaling

Ensuring Fault Tolerance

In your default scenario, avoid using the MCR in the same process as the rest
of your application. The MCR is a large complex native application running
inside your applications process. If the MCR runs in the same process, you
cannot ensure fault tolerance in the compiled application. To ensure that it
does not affect the outer process, move it to its own process and pass the
data back and forth.
Remoting provides the ideal solution, as discussed in Scaling Your Server
Environment on page 6-8. Remoting allows you to start up a process whose
only job is to start the MCR and run requests against it. Starting this process
enables lightweight access from the client.
Both MATLAB Builder NE and MATLAB Builder JA have features that allow
you to auto-convert MATLAB data types into Java or .NET data types. This

6-10

Managing a Deployment Server Environment

auto-conversion frees you from running an MCR where the client process
executes, yielding a robust more application.

Using Remoting to Achieve Fault Tolerance

6-11

Server Administrator Tasks

Hot Deployment
Hot Deployment entails replacing running application source code on-the-fly.
The server automatically migrates end users to this new code without the
user experiencing an outage.

.NET
MATLAB Builder NE supports Hot Deployment of deployed components in
either:
The WebDev server (the version of IIS built into Microsoft Visual Studio)
IIS itself

Java
Support for Hot Deployment in MATLAB Builder JA is not available at this
time.

6-12

Working with Multiple Versions of the MATLAB Compiler Runtime (MCR)

Working with Multiple Versions of the MATLAB Compiler

Runtime (MCR)
You can run two applications from the same Web server that link against
Deployed components built in different versions of MATLAB. To do so, create
server processes for each application. You reference the applications, using
remoting, back to the server. By using remoting, you ensure that one version
of the MCR Libraries loads into any given process.

Using Remoting to Workaround Multiple Versions of the MCR

6-13

Server Administrator Tasks

Unsupported Versions of the JVM

The MCR internally utilizes a JVM unless you disable it manually. If you are
using a deployed application from within a Java application (with its own
JVM), the MCR will attach to and use that applications JVM.
To do this successfully, you must ensure a supported MATLAB JVM version
is available to your application. For example, servers such as IBM
WebSphere are incompatible for compiled applications because they use an
IBM JVM, rather than a Oracle JVM, for example. You can workaround
this issue by using remoting to pull the MCR into its own process, where it
uses the proper JVM.

Using Remoting to Workaround an Unsupported JVM

6-14

7
End User Tasks
Working with Content on page 7-2
Example Tasks on page 7-3

End User Tasks

Working with Content

End users access the business logic through tools such as Microsoft Excel or a
Web page on the front-end tier. The end user sees only the resulting data and
has no need (or need to know) the implementation used to create it.
End User
Role

End user

7-2

Knowledge Base

Responsibilities

No MATLAB experience

In Web environments, consumes

what the front-end developer creates

Some knowledge of the data

that is being displayed, but not
how it was created

Integrates MATLAB code with other

third-party applications, such as
Excel

Example Tasks

Example Tasks
The example in this section consumes the Web service created in Deploying
the Web Service on page 4-34. With this type of application, you can use the
same Web service to display many different front ends. You can use data
stored in Microsoft Excel and pass it to a Web service to generate dynamic
data-driven images.
Microsoft Excel Web Service Client Standalone Application
To construct a Microsoft Excel interface to the Web service:
1 Download and install the Microsoft Office Web Service Toolkit from

Microsoft, if you havent already.

2 Start Microsoft Excel.
3 Open a new worksheet.
4 Using the Control Toolbox, create an Excel graphics window by dropping

and dragging an Image.

5 Drag a Command Button into the window. You use this button to trigger

the Web service call and load the graphic. At this stage, the window looks
like this.

7-3

End User Tasks

6 Double-click the Command Button button and the VBA editor starts.
7 Select Tools > Web Service References.

Note The Web Service References option is available only if you install
the Microsoft Office Web Service Toolkit.
8 In Web Service URL, type the WSDL that was referenced in Using Web

Services on page 5-28:

http://localhost:3465/SurfPeaksWebServiceServer/Service.asmx?WSDL

7-4

Example Tasks

9 Click Search to query the Web service. The result resembles this.

10 Select the appropriate service in the Search Results pane and click Add

to bind it to your project. Notice that a Class Module is created called

clsws_Service. This module will be used by the button action to retrieve
the data.
11 In the worksheet, for the method CommandButton1_Click(), add and save

the following code:

Sheet1.Image1.Picture = Nothing
Dim value() As Byte
Set module = New clsws_Service
value = module.wsm_SurfPeaksWebService
'Saves byte() data from web service to a file
Dim intFileNumber As Integer
intFileNumber = FreeFile
Open "c:\temp1.png" For Binary As #intFileNumber
Put intFileNumber, , value
Close #intFileNumber

7-5

End User Tasks

'Loads the saved picture into the image

Sheet1.Image1.Picture = LoadPicture("c:\temp1.png")

12 Click the command to display the following in the graphics pane of your

worksheet.
Tip You may need to close Microsoft Excel and reopen it to see the graphic.

7-6

8
End-to-End Developer
Tasks
Role of the End-To-End Developer on page 8-2
Magic Square Calculator On the Web on page 8-5
Creating an End-to-End Web Application on page 8-7

End-to-End Developer Tasks

Role of the End-To-End Developer

Each chapter in this guide is focused on tasks that are performed in order to
deploy applications from the perspectives of various types of users. This is
done by providing snippets of code that a person in a particular role can use
to solve a particular problem within the context of some larger application.
While this approach makes sense for most users, sometimes a single user is
fulfilling all roles, and often this person is relatively new to some of the roles.
For example, sometimes an expert MATLAB programmer is asked to put
something theyve worked on up to the Web for others to consume. They may
never have used Java or .NET before.
This chapter is aimed specifically at users playing the role of the one-stop
shop and will go through in relative detail all of the steps needed to build an
application from the ground up and get it running successfully.
MATLAB Programmer
Role

MATLAB
programmer

Knowledge Base

Responsibilities

MATLAB expert

Develops models; implements in

MATLAB

No IT experience
No access to IT systems

Serves as tool builder

Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the Java developer
Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the .NET developer
Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the COM developer
Uses tools to create a component that
is used by the C or C++ developer

8-2

Role of the End-To-End Developer

Middle-Tier Developer
Little to no MATLAB
experience
Middle-tier
developer

Moderate IT Experience
Expert at business logic and
services tier
Java expert
.NET expert
Minimal access to IT systems

Integrates deployed component

with the rest of the J2EE system
by converting MATLAB data types
(MWArrays) to the Java Business
logic objects
Integrates deployed component
with the rest of the .NET system
by converting MATLAB data types
(MWArrays) to the .NET Business
logic objects

Expert at J2EE
Expert at .NET Web
frameworks
Expert at Web services
Front-End Web Developer
Role

Front-end Web
developer

Knowledge Base

Responsibilities

No MATLAB experience

As service consumer, manages

presentation and usability

Minimal IT experience
Expert at usability and Web
page design
Minimal access to IT systems
Expert at JSP
Expert at ASPX

Creates front-end applications

Integrates MATLAB code with
language-specific frameworks and
environments
Integrates WebFigures with the rest
of the Web page

8-3

End-to-End Developer Tasks

Server Administrator
No MATLAB experience
Server
administrator

IT Expert
Understands server
architectures
Understands language-specific
frameworks and environments

Manages uptime of production

servers
Ensures that services are scalable
enough to meet SLA requirements
Maintains multiple versions of the
MCR and Deployed component
versions
Manages framework versions

End User
Role

End user

8-4

Knowledge Base

Responsibilities

No MATLAB experience

In Web environments, consumes

what the front-end developer creates

Some knowledge of the data

that is being displayed, but not
how it was created

Integrates MATLAB code with other

third-party applications, such as
Excel

Magic Square Calculator On the Web

Magic Square Calculator On the Web

The examples in this chapter demonstrate a Magic Square Calculator
application that allows users to input a size for a magic square. It shows
the matrix, as well as a surface plot of the matrix. This surface plot doesnt
represent anything, but it demonstrates how to handle numerical data as well
as visualization data.
The applications built in this chapter are not complex multi-tiered
applications. Rather, these applications represent the product of the least
number of steps required to build a working Web application quickly. The
concepts demonstrated in this chapter can be extended into a robust, scalable
Web application using techniques from other chapters in this guide.
The getMagicWebFigure.m MATLAB function, which runs the Magic Square
calculator, is as follows. It is based on the popular Magic Square getMagic
function:
getmagic.m:
function magicOutput = getMagic(x)
magicOutput = magic(x);
end

getMagicWebFigure.m:
function figureOutput = getMagicWebFigure(x)
f = figure;
magicOutput = magic(x);
surf(magicOutput);
set(gcf,'Color',[1,1,1])
figureOutput = webfigure(f);
close(f);
end

The Magic Square Calculator application, when built, looks like this.

8-5

End-to-End Developer Tasks

Magic Square Calculator Application Presented on the Web

8-6

Creating an End-to-End Web Application

Creating an End-to-End Web Application

In this section...
Creating a Java Web Application, End-to-End on page 8-7
Creating a .NET Web Application, End-to-End on page 8-15

Creating a Java Web Application, End-to-End

In order to deploy the Magic Square Calculator application described in
Magic Square Calculator On the Web on page 8-5 to the Web, you must
build and run your application using Java or .NET.
To create the Magic Square Calculator in Java, you must create:
1 The MATLAB Builder JA JAR file that is generated by compiling MATLAB

code using MATLAB, MATLAB Compiler, and MATLAB Builder JA.

2 The JSP entry page, responsible for taking in user input, passing it on to

the servlet, and displaying the servlets result on the page.

3 The servlet, responsible for instantiating the deployed component. When a

request comes in, calling the MATLAB function that returns the matrix,
the MATLAB function returns the WebFigure. The servlet then binds the
WebFigure to the application cache of the server and produces HTML that
displays the WebFigure and finally, the matrix.
The following procedure gives you an option to build your example Web
component or download it from MATLAB Central. To download the example,
go to Building Your Example Component on page 8-7.

Building Your Example Component

1 Download the application code for this example from MATLAB Centrals File

Exchange at http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange.
Once you open the file exchange, search for Java Web Example Guide
End To End Chapter.

8-7

End-to-End Developer Tasks

2 Extract the JavaEndToEnd.zip file into a working folder where you can

build the application.

3 Start Tomcat by changing your folder to tomcat\bin and executing

startup.bat.
4 Copy javabuilder.jar to the tomcat/common/libs folder.
5 Once Tomcat starts successfully, drag the JavaEndToEnd.war file into the

webapps folder under the tomcat folder.

6 Execute the application by opening a Web browser and pointing to

http://localhost:8080/JavaEndToEnd/MagicSquare/ExamplesPage.jsp.

Building Your Example Component Manually

1 Ensure you have a version of the Java Developers Kit (JDK) installed that

matches the version used by the MCR. See the MATLAB Compiler Users
Guide reference pages for details on the mcrversion command.
2 Ensure you have Tomcat 5 or later on your system (other J2EE Web

servers can work also, but the steps in this document have been tested
with Tomcat).
3 Ensure the version of the MCR you have installed is the same version as

the MCR running with MATLAB when the application was built. If you
are unsure, check with your MATLAB programmer or whoever initially
deployed the component.
4 Make note of the folder where the MCR is installed. It will be used later

when starting the applications.

5 Create the code for the JSP page:

Note This code uses an image resource and a cascading style sheet
resource that is included if you download the code from MATLAB Central
as in Building Your Example Component on page 8-7.

<%@ page contentType="text/html;charset=UTF-8" language="java" %>

8-8

Creating an End-to-End Web Application

<html>
<head>
<title>Calculation Services</title>
<%
//This section of code determines if the user has entered
// a number for the square size, if they have it overlays
// the default size which is 5.
String sizeStr = request.getParameter("size");
int size = 5;
if(sizeStr!=null && sizeStr.length()>0)
{
size = Integer.parseInt(sizeStr);
}
%>
<link rel="Stylesheet" type="text/css"
media=all href="./StyleSheet.css" />
<link href="StyleSheet.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
</head>
<body>
<form method="get">
<div style="text-align: center">
<table width="760" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tr>
<td><img src="header_bg.jpg"
alt="Header Image Not Found"
width="779" height="72" /></td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<h1> Calculation Services</h1>
Calculate Magic Square
<br>
Size:
<input type="text" name="size" size="8" value="<%=size%>" >
<br>

8-9

End-to-End Developer Tasks

<input type="submit" value="Calculate">

<br>
<br />
<script type="text/javascript">
try
{
//Sets up an HttpRequest object so we can call our
// servlet and dump the output to the screen
var objXHR = new XMLHttpRequest();
}
catch (e)
{
try
{
var objXHR = new ActiveXObject('Msxml2.XMLHTTP');
}
catch (e)
{
try
{
var objXHR =
new ActiveXObject('Microsoft.XMLHTTP');
}
catch (e)
{
document.write
('XMLHttpRequest not supported');
}
}
}
//Call the MagicSquare Servlet and pass it the
//

size of the matrix to show

objXHR.open('GET','MagicSquare?size=<%=size%>',false);
objXHR.send(null);
//Display the result of the servlet on the page
document.writeln(objXHR.responseText);
</script>
<br>
</div>

8-10

Creating an End-to-End Web Application

</form>
</body>
</html>

6 Create the code for the servlet:

Note This code requires that the generated component created earlier and
javabuilder.jar must be on the classpath in order to compile.

import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.ServletConfig;
import java.io.IOException;
import examples.*;
import com.mathworks.toolbox.javabuilder.webfigures.WebFigure;
import com.mathworks.toolbox.javabuilder.webfigures.WebFigureHtmlGenerator;
import com.mathworks.toolbox.javabuilder.MWJavaObjectRef;
import com.mathworks.toolbox.javabuilder.MWNumericArray;
import com.mathworks.toolbox.javabuilder.MWException;
public class MagicSquareServlet extends HttpServlet
{
private MagicCalc calc;
public void init(ServletConfig config) throws ServletException
{
super.init(config);
try
{
//We initialize the deployed component in the init
// method so it doesn't get initialized with each request
calc = new MagicCalc();
}
catch(MWException e)
{
e.printStackTrace();

8-11

End-to-End Developer Tasks

}
}
public void destroy()
{
super.destroy();
if(calc!=null)
{
//When the servlet gets disposed you can clean
// up the deployed component reference as well.
calc.dispose();
}
}
protected void doGet(HttpServletRequest request,
HttpServletResponse response)
throws ServletException, IOException
{
//If no size has been provided, return.
String sizeStr = request.getParameter("size");
if(sizeStr==null || sizeStr.length()==0)
return;
//Convert the input parameter size to an MWArray
//

for use with our components

MWNumericArray size = new MWNumericArray(Integer.parseInt(sizeStr));

double[][] square = new double[0][];
WebFigure figure = null;
try
{
//Call the getMagicWebFigure method and turn
// the java object reference into a WebFigure object
Object[] results = calc.getMagicWebFigure(1, size);
MWJavaObjectRef ref = (MWJavaObjectRef)results[0];
figure = (WebFigure)ref.get();
//Attach the WebFigure to the Servlets Application cache
getServletContext().setAttribute("UserPlot",figure);

8-12

Creating an End-to-End Web Application

//Call the getMagic method and turn the

//

MWArray into a array of doubles

Object[] result = calc.getMagic(1, size);

MWNumericArray array = (MWNumericArray)result[0];
square = (double[][])array.toArray();
}
catch(MWException e)
{
e.printStackTrace();
}
StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer();
//The WebFigureHtmlGenerator class creates an HTML string that
// can be embedded into a web page and will create an iFrame
// that contains the WebFigure.
WebFigureHtmlGenerator webFigureHtmlGen =
new WebFigureHtmlGenerator("WebFigures",getServletContext());
if(figure!=null)
{
try
{
String outputString =
webFigureHtmlGen.getFigureEmbedString(
figure,
"UserPlot",
"application",
"330",
"330",
null);
buffer.append(outputString);
}
catch(Exception e)
{
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
buffer.append("<BR>");

8-13

End-to-End Developer Tasks

buffer.append("<BR>");
//Step through the matrix and output it to an HTML Table
buffer.append("<TABLE >");
for (double[] row : square)
{
buffer.append("<TR>");
for (double value : row)
{
buffer.append("<TH>");
buffer.append(new Double(value).intValue());
}
}
buffer.append("</TABLE>");
buffer.append("<BR>");

//Write the embeddable html to the response

// output stream for use on the jsp page
response.getOutputStream().print(buffer.toString());
}
}

7 Copy the javabuilder.jar file (from

matlabroot/toolbox/javabuilder/jar/javabuilder.jar) to the
webapp/WEB-INF/lib folder.
8 Since you are compiling a servlet which has J2EE dependencies, copy

servlet-api.jar (the J2EE JAR file that comes with Tomcat) to the
current working folder. This file is usually located in the Tomcat common
lib folder (a J2EE JAR file can work as well).
9 From the root of your Projects folder we need to build the component with

MATLAB by using the following mcc command:

mcc -W "java:examples,MagicCalc" -d .\scratch -T "link:lib"
-v "class{MagicCalc:.\webapp\WEB-INF\mcode\getMagic.m,
.\webapp\WEB-INF\mcode\getMagicWebFigure.m}"

8-14

Creating an End-to-End Web Application

10 Copy it from your working folder to the Web applications lib folder by

typing:
xcopy /Y .\scratch\examples.jar .\webapp\WEB-INF\lib
11 Rebuild the servlet by typing the following command:

javac -cp servlet-api.jar;

.\webapp\WEB-INF\lib\javabuilder.jar;
.\webapp\WEB-INF\lib\examples.jar;
-d .\webapp\WEB-INF\classes
.\webapp\WEB-INF\src\MagicSquareServlet.java

Note This assumes JDK 1.6 javac is on your system path:

12 To rebuild the WAR file, enter:

cd webapp
jar -cvf ..\JavaEndToEnd.war .
cd ..

Creating a .NET Web Application, End-to-End

To create the Magic Square Calculator using .NET, you must create:
1 The MATLAB Builder NE DLL file that is generated by compiling MATLAB

code using MATLAB, MATLAB Compiler, and MATLAB Builder NE.

2 The DataTable implementation that converts the magic square output into

something that an ObjectDataSource can use in a GridView Control.

3 The ASPX page and the code behind it. This page is responsible for taking

in user input, displaying the controls, and handling page events.

Preparing Your Example Application

1 Ensure you have a supported .NET Framework installed and Microsoft

Visual Studio. See the MATLAB Builder NE system requirements for a list
of supported framework versions.

8-15

End-to-End Developer Tasks

2 Ensure the version of the MCR you have installed is the same version as

the MCR running with MATLAB when the application was built. If you
are unsure, check with your MATLAB programmer or whoever initially
deployed the components. See the MATLAB Compiler Users Guide
reference pages for details on the mcrversion command.
3 Make note of the folder where the MCR is installed. It will be used later

when starting the applications.

4 Create the code for the DataTable implementation:
using System;
using System.Data;
using System.Configuration;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.Security;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts;
using System.Web.UI.HtmlControls;
using Examples;
using MathWorks.MATLAB.NET.Arrays;
public class MagicSquare
{
//This class gets the data from the generated component and loads
//

it into a data structure that can be automatically used by an

//

ObjectDataSource in a GridView Control

public DataTable getMagicSquare(int size)

{
//Instantiate the deployed component
MagicCalc calc = new MagicCalc();
//Convert the size into an MWArray so it can be passed in
MWArray input = size;
//call the getMagic function to get the matrix
MWNumericArray output = (MWNumericArray)calc.getMagic(input);
//Convert the matrix to a .NET double array

8-16

Creating an End-to-End Web Application

double[,] magicSquare =
(double[,])output.ToArray(MWArrayComponent.Real);
//Create an empty data table to put the matrix data in.
DataTable table = new DataTable();
//Since we know its a square add as many
//

columns as there will be rows.

for(int i = 0; i<size; i++)

{
table.Columns.Add();
}
DataRow row;
//Iterate each element in the array creating a row out of each
for(int i = 0; i < size;i++)
{
//create a row from the table to put the data in
row = table.NewRow();
//Iterate each element in the inner
//

array and put them into the row

for (int j = 0; j < size; j++)

{
row[j] = magicSquare[i,j];
}
//Add the row to the table
table.Rows.Add(row);
}
return table;
}
}

5 Create the code for the ASPX page:

<%@ Page Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="true"

CodeFile="Default.aspx.cs" Inherits="_Default" %>
<%@ Register
Assembly="WebFiguresService,

8-17

End-to-End Developer Tasks

Version=2.8.1.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=e1d84a0da19db86f"
Namespace="MathWorks.MATLAB.NET.WebFigures.Service"
TagPrefix="cc1" %>
<!DOCTYPE html
PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" >
<head id="Head1" runat="server">
<title>Calculation Services</title>
<link rel="Stylesheet" type="text/css"
media=all href="./StyleSheet.css" />
<link href="StyleSheet.css"
rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
</head>
<body>
<form id="form1" runat="server">
<div style="text-align: center">
<table width="760" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="0">
<tr>
<td>
<img
src="header_bg.jpg"
alt="Header Image Not Found"
width="779"
height="72" /></td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<h1> Calculation Services</h1>
<asp:Label
ID="Label3"
runat="server"
Text="Calculate Magic Square">
</asp:Label>

8-18

Creating an End-to-End Web Application

<br />
<asp:Label
ID="Label4"
runat="server"
Text="Size: ">
</asp:Label>
<asp:TextBox
ID="TextBox3"
runat="server"
Width="61px">
5
</asp:TextBox>
<br />
<asp:Button
ID="Button2"
runat="server"
OnClick="Button2_Click"
Text="Calculate" />
<br />
<br />
<cc1:WebFigureControl
ID="WebFigureControl1"
runat="server"
Height="330px"
Width="330px" />
<br />
<br />
<asp:ObjectDataSource
ID="ObjectDataSource1"
runat="server"
SelectMethod="getMagicSquare"
TypeName="MagicSquare">
<SelectParameters>
<asp:ControlParameter

8-19

End-to-End Developer Tasks

ControlID="TextBox3"
DefaultValue="5"
Name="size"
PropertyName="Text"
Type="Int32" />
</SelectParameters>
</asp:ObjectDataSource>
<asp:GridView
ID="GridView1"
runat="server"
DataSourceID="ObjectDataSource1"
ShowHeader="False">
</asp:GridView>
</div>
</form>
</body>
</html>
6 Create the code behind the ASPX page:
using System;
using System.Data;
using System.Configuration;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.Security;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts;
using System.Web.UI.HtmlControls;
using Examples;
using MathWorks.MATLAB.NET.WebFigures;
using MathWorks.MATLAB.NET.Arrays;
public partial class _Default : System.Web.UI.Page
{
private MagicCalc calc = new MagicCalc();
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
MWArray input = Int32.Parse(TextBox3.Text);
WebFigureControl1.WebFigure =

8-20

Creating an End-to-End Web Application

new WebFigure(calc.getMagicWebFigure(input));
}
protected void

Button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{
MWArray input = Int32.Parse(TextBox3.Text);
WebFigureControl1.WebFigure =
new WebFigure(calc.getMagicWebFigure(input));
ObjectDataSource1.Select();
}
}

Building Your Example Application

Build your application and deploy it using the version of IIS built into
Microsoft Visual Studio as follows:
1 From the root of your projects folder, open the WebSite folder.
2 Build the component in MATLAB using the mcc command:

mcc -W "dotnet:Examples,MagicCalc,0.0,private"
-d ".\mcode\output" -T "link:lib"
-v
"class{MagicCalc:.\mcode\getMagic.m,
.\mcode\getMagicWebFigure.m}"

This command creates a file in the WebSite\mcode\output folder called

Examples.dll (this will be referenced from the Visual Studio project in
the next step).
3 Open Microsoft Visual Studio and select File > Open > Web Site.
4 Browse to the WebSite folder and open it.
5 Confirm that Examples.dll is added correctly as a reference. If there were

any errors or issues adding it, delete it and add a new reference to the DLL
you built in the WebSite\mcode\output folder.

8-21

End-to-End Developer Tasks

Microsoft Visual Studio Designer View of the Magic Square Calculator

6 Select Build > Build Solution. You should build with no errors. If there

are errors, ensure that:

The MCR is installed.
Examples.dll has been added as a reference in your project.
7 When you have built successfully, select Debug > Start Debugging. A

local IIS server starts and opens your page inside of it.

8-22

A
Sources for More
Information

Sources for More Information

Other Examples
Use these links for more information on other Web examples of possible
interest:

MATLAB Builder JA
Other examples using MATLAB Builder JA include:

Black-Scholes
MATLAB Central Black-Scholes Web Application for Java

WebFigures
MATLAB Builder JA WebFigures Varargs Application

MATLAB Builder NE
Other examples using MATLAB Builder NE include:

Black-Scholes
MATLAB Central Black-Scholes Web Application for .NET

A-2